New York City residents are showing a decrease in the levels of artificial trans fats in their blood since a citywide ban on using them in restaurants went into effect in 2006, reports Science News.
A study looked at blood samples of residents before and after the ban and also asked about dining habits during a coinciding health and nutrition survey. Results: The samples, 212 from 2004 and 247 from 2013–2014, revealed a drop from 49.2 to 21.3 micromoles per liter, suggesting that trans fat levels plunged by about 57 percent overall among New Yorkers, said Science News.
Among residents who eat out often (4-plus times a week), the drop was greatest — about 62 percent — indicating that the measure has been successful in helping to reduce heart disease risk. The research was published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Artificial trans fats (trans fatty acids) are used in a variety of high-calorie foods, especially those that are fried, baked or cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
When people eat too many they increase their low-density cholesterol, which is considered good compared to the high-density cholesterol, of which trans fatty acids also reduce.
in 2018, the FDA mandated a national policy eliminating partially hydrogenated oils from processed foods.
In this latest study, the estimated drop in the level of artificial trans fats in New Yorkers’ bloodstreams is similar to what happened nationally after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandated in 2006 that companies include artificial trans fats in food nutrition labels, reports Science News. A previous study found that from 1999 to 2010, there was a 54 percent decline in blood levels of the fats in a sample of U.S. adults.
A 2 percent increase in calories from trans fatty acids in a person’s diet is associated with a 23 percent rise in the occurrence of coronary heart disease, said Science News, pointing to a previous analysis reported. A 2017 study of the health effects of trans fatty acid restrictions found that those locations that enacted a ban on use by restaurants had fewer hospitalizations for heart attacks and strokes.
