6 - Authorised EU health claim for MUFA and PUFA in replacement of saturated fats

Abstract

The European Commission has authorised the following health claim for use in the Europen Union: ‘Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats in the diet has been shown to lower/reduce blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease’. To bear this claim, the ‘High Unsaturated Fat’ nutrition claim must be satisfied and the product must be a fat or an oil. The substantiating evidence for this claim is based primarily on meta-analyses in which the effect of saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids on blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations are compared with carbohydrates, and mono- or poly-unsaturated fatty acids. Although the substantiating evidence is strong, further research is warranted into predictors of cardiovascular disease risk and consumer understanding of health claims.