By Jimmy Downs

Sunday April 21, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- A study most recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that eating trans fat can increase risk for all-cause mortality.

Edmond K Kabagambe from Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN  and colleagues conducted the study and found 7% of all-cause mortality in a population are attributed to eating trans fat.

Earlier, Harvard nutritionists and epidemiologists estimated that trans fat contributes to 100,000 deaths from heart disease each year in the Unites States.

Trans fat can not only lower the serum concentrations of good cholesterol or high density lipoprotein cholesterol but also increase the levels of bad cholesterol or low density lipoprotein cholesterol and is associated with inflammation, diabetes, cancer and mortality from cardiovascular disease such as heart disease and stroke.

The current study was intended to examine the association between trans fat intake and all-cause mortality.  Data used for the study came from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study which involved white and black men and women in the continental United States.  During a 7-year follow-up, 1572 deaths out of 18513 men and women in the study were identified.

After adjustment for demographic factors, education and other death risk factors, those in the highest intake of trans fat were 24 percent more likely to die than those in the lowest intake. The population attributable risk increased by trans fat intake was 7%, the researchers found.

The study concluded "Higher trans fat intake is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality."

Trans fat is still used in processed foods.  A more common name for trans fat is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.   Trans fat is mostly artificial and humans cannot handle it well causing health problems.

Even foods that claim to have zero trans fat can actually contain trans fat.  The Food and Drug Administration allows food manufacturers to label a food that contains less than 0.5 grams per serving as having zero trans fat.  

The trick is that food manufacturers can decide the serving size, which can allow food makers to claim virtually any food as zero trans fat foods.  For instance, if a food contains 2% trans fat.  If the serving size is defined as 50 grams, which contain 1 gram of trans fat, the food maker has to declare that the food contain 2% trans fat.  But if the serving size is 24 grams, which contains less than 0.5 gram of trans fat, the food maker can claim that the food has zero trans fat.

The best way to avoid trans fat is not to use processed foods, particularly not to dine at restaurants.  Many fast food restaurants like McDonald's claim that their foods are free of trans fat.   But does that mean their foods contain absolutely zero trans fat?  No one knows.

Another significant source of trans fat is dairy products like milk.   As much as 2 to 5% of milk fat and body fat of ruminants like cattle and sheep is trans fat.  Although cows and sheep can handle the naturally occurring trans fat, it can cause the same health problems as the partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.   It is not surprising that eating dairy products and red meat like beef has been associated with some major chronic diseases.