Dietary intakes of trans fatty acids before the prohibition of partially hydrogenated oils in Canada

• Published in: European journal of nutrition Vol. 64; no. 1; p. 59
• Main Authors: Demonty, Isabelle, Wang, Kuan Chiao, Rondeau, Isabelle, Martineau, Chantal, Manley, Lindsay, Daoust, Janice, Hopperton, Kathryn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.02.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Beverages; Canada; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Child; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet - methods; Diet - statistics & numerical data; energy; Fatty acids; Female; Food; Food availability; Food intake; health surveys; Humans; Hydrogenation; income; Infant; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition; Nutrition Surveys - methods; Nutrition Surveys - statistics & numerical data; Original Contribution; Public health; Sex; Trans fats; Trans Fatty Acids - administration & dosage; World Health Organization; Young Adult; Canada; fatty acids; Canadian Community Health Survey; Dietary intakes; Industrially produced; Partially hydrogenated oils; Naturally occurring; Industrially produced trans fatty acids; Naturally occurring trans fatty acids; Trans fatty acids
• ISSN: 1436-6207; 1436-6215; 1436-6215
• DOI: 10.1007/s00394-024-03569-7

Purpose Canada’s public health objective is that ≥ 90% of the population consume <1% of total energy (< 1%En) as trans fatty acids (TFA), in line with World Health Organization recommendations. Our study aimed to estimate usual intakes of total TFA, industrially-produced TFA (i-TFA), and naturally occurring TFA (n-TFA) overall and in subgroups of the population before Canada’s 2018 prohibition on the use of partially hydrogenated oils (PHO) in foods. Methods Data from 1–2 24-h recalls was available for 19,670 participants in the cross-sectional Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)—Nutrition 2015. Usual intakes of total TFA, i-TFA, n-TFA, and mixed TFA (TFA from foods containing both i-TFA and n-TFA) from all foods and beverages were generated according to the National Cancer Institute method, and weighted to represent the population of Canada aged ≥ 1 and within age, sex, income, and self-reported racial groups. Results For the overall population, the mean usual intake of total TFA was 1.2 g/day (SE:0.02) and represented 0.57%En (SE:0.001). All age-sex groups had mean total TFA intakes <1%En, ranging from 0.52 to 0.71%En. On average, foods containing only n-TFA provided >1/2 of total TFA intake (0.32%En, SE:0.01). The target of ≥ 90% of the population consuming <1%En as TFA had already been achieved before the PHO prohibition in all income, racial, and age-sex groups, except children 1–3 years old, with 86% within target. In that group, foods containing only n-TFA provided >2/3 of total TFA intake (0.48%En, SE:0.02). Conclusion Total TFA intakes in Canada before the PHO prohibition were relatively low, likely due to previous initiatives to reduce i-TFA in foods.