Abstract
Health effects of trans fatty acids (TFAs) on human organisms can vary according to their type, structure, composition, and origin. Even though the adverse health effects of industrial TFAs (iTFAs) have been widely discussed, the health effects of natural TFAs (nTFAs) are still questionable. Hence, it is important to review the literature and provide an overall picture on the health effects of different TFAs coming from industrial and ruminant sources, underlining those types that have adverse health effects as well as suggesting methods for reducing their harmful effects. Multiple databases (PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, etc.) were searched with the key words “trans fatty acid sources”, “ruminant”, “industrial”, “conjugated trans linoleic acid”, “human”, “coronary heart disease”, “cancer”, etc. Reference lists of the studies were scanned discussing the health effects of iTFAs and nTFAs. The review of the literature showed that iTFAs are found to be more harmful than ruminant-produced nTFAs. Although several beneficial effects (such as reduced risk of diabetes) for nTFAs have been observed, they should be used with caution. Since during labeling it is usually not mentioned whether the TFAs contained in food are of industrial or natural origin, the general suggestion is to reduce their consumption.
Highlights
According to Chen et al, the previous studies indicated that several factors including frying conditions, the fatty acid composition, and coexisted antioxidants in frying materials would contribute to the variation in the thermal trans fatty acids (TFAs) accumulation [16]
Many studies report a direct association of industrial TFAs (iTFAs) intake with the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and other adverse health effects
TFAs from industrial sources are proved to have many adverse health effects; so why do so many companies still use it? It is because trans fats are easy to use, inexpensive to produce, and last a long time
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The impact of SFAs on human health has been widely discussed in the literature [3,4,5,6], while there is no definite answer on whether TFAs have a negative or positive health effects, as it is highly dependent on their source, type, and transformations they undergo in the organism It has been shown by randomized controlled trials that, in general, replacing dietary SFAs with unsaturated fatty acids improves cardiovascular health [4]. According to Chen et al, the previous studies indicated that several factors including frying conditions, the fatty acid composition, and coexisted antioxidants in frying materials would contribute to the variation in the thermal TFAs accumulation [16] Both iTFAs and rTFAs consist of the same positional trans isomers, but they differ in distribution and amount [13]. The possible health effects of different types of TFAs and dietary intakes and worldwide regulatory procedures are presented and discussed
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