Transvetten geven fors meer kans op hart- en vaatziektes.*
Uit een studie onder bijna 33.000 vrouwen die zes jaar lang gevolgd werden blijkt dat hoe hoger de bloedwaarden aan transvet hoe groter de kans op hoge waarden slecht cholesterol (LDL) en lagere waarden goed cholesterol (HDL). Transvetten worden niet door het lichaam gemaakt en kunnen alleen met voeding in het lichaam komen. Transvetten zitten vooral in gedeeltelijk geharde of gehydrogeneerde oliën en vetten die veel gebruikt worden in o.a. gebak, koekjes, crackers en reeds gebakken of gefrituurde voeding. In vergelijking tot de vrouwen met de laagste waarden aan transvet bleken de vrouwen met de hoogste waarden wel 3 keer meer kans te hebben op hart- en vaatziektes.
Trans
fats linked to greater heart disease risk
A study published supports recent efforts to
rid the American diet of trans fats. In the study, women with the highest levels
of trans fat in their blood had triple the risk of heart disease as those with
the lowest levels.
"Humans cannot synthesize, or create,
trans fatty acid. The only source is through diet," study chief Dr. Frank
B. Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, said in a written
statement.
The main source of trans fat in the diet is
partially hydrogenated oils that are plentiful in cookies, crackers, pastries
and fried foods. "Eliminating the use of partially hydrogenated oils and
other sources of trans fat in the U.S. diet -- as long as saturated fat intake
doesn't increase -- will likely help reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease,"
Hu said.
Hu and colleagues analyzed blood samples
obtained from 32,826 nurses between 1989 and 1990 as part of a long-term study
that looked at the effect of oral contraceptives, diet and lifestyle on the
development of heart and other diseases.
During 6 years of follow-up, 166 women
developed heart disease and these women were matched to 327 healthy control
women.
According to a report in the journal
Circulation, the amount of trans fat in red blood cells correlated significantly
with the amount of trans fat consumed and was associated with increased levels
of "bad" LDL cholesterol and decreased levels of "good" HDL
cholesterol.
After adjusting the data for multiple factors
that might influence the results, women with the highest trans fatty acid
content in red blood cells were three times more likely to develop heart disease
than women with the lowest trans fatty acid content in red blood cells.
This study, the authors say, provides further
evidence of the potentially harmful effects of trans fats on heart health.
"Trans fat intake," notes Hu, "has been substantially reduced in European countries, whereas intake in the U.S. is still relatively high. Recent efforts to eliminate trans fats from many foods and even from restaurant meals in cities such as New York and Philadelphia should have a beneficial effect on the population as a whole," he concludes. (April 2007) (Opm. Meer over transvetten.)