The Food and Drug Administration announced that the “incomplete hydrogenated oil” will be completely banned from July so that artificial trans fats no longer appear in food.
Baked foods used to be “incompletely hydrogenated oils” in the past to produce a crispy or smooth texture. However, the incomplete hydrogenation of vegetable oils can cause health-fighting trans fats and cause cardiovascular disease. Wei Renting, deputy head of the Food and Drug Administration’s food group, said that the health unit will start relevant inspections after July. If it is found that the food industry violates the use of incompletely hydrogenated oil, and it has not been corrected within a time limit, it may impose a fine of 30,000 to 3 million yuan on food safety. Hey.
What is trans fat?
Trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids, that is, the carbon atoms that make up the fat have double bonds.Hydrogen atoms bonded to carbon atoms are cis-fatty if they are on the same side of the double bond, and trans-fatty if they are on the opposite side of the double bond.
Trans fats are artificial and natural
- Natural trans fats: Mainly present in the fats and milks of animals such as cattle and sheep, such as conjugated linolenic acid, which is classified as saturated fat in the category of nutrition management and is harmless to the human body and can even prevent obesity and arteriosclerosis. .
- Artificial trans fats: The trans fats produced during the process are mainly derived from hydrogenated vegetable oils. The hydrogenation process changes the molecular structure of fats. The advantages are that the oils are more resistant to high temperatures, increase stability, and increase shelf life, and Can make foods can increase crispy or smooth taste, but at the same time because of incomplete hydrogenation and produce trans fat, eat more fear of affecting health.
Trans fats harm to health
Artificial trans fats cause more than 500,000 deaths worldwide from cardiovascular diseases each year.According to media reports, Yan Zonghai, MD, director of the Department of Clinical Toxicology at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Linkou, pointed out that a literature study found that long-term intake of trans-fatty acids can cause three high risks and increase risks such as cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.
According to the latest study of the University of California San Diego Medical School in 2014, it was found that there were more trans fats and poorer single-word memory; in 2012, the University of Oregon Health and Science University also found that there were more trans fats and brain capacity. A relatively small and gray matter shrinkage may increase the risk of memory impairment and dementia.
Another study shows that trans fat is related to infertility, dementia, breast cancer, and diabetes, and is a health killer that people do not feel.
Which foods hide the trans fat crisis? The next page tells you!
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that if 2% of the total calories of trans fats are completely replaced by units and polyunsaturated fats, 23% of cardiovascular disease deaths can be reduced; if the total calories decrease by 0.5% comes from The caloric intake of trans fat can reduce 3% of the stroke deaths and 6% of the death rate of coronary heart disease, so it is expected to reach the goal of completely stopping the use of trans fat by 2025.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced three years ago that the food industry had banned incomplete hydrogenation of oil for three years. Wei Renting also responded that China has already followed up the world. In 2016, it issued the “Restriction on the Use of Edible Hydrogenated Oils”. It is stipulated that if the manufacturing date is after July 1, 2018, incomplete hydrogenated oils may not be used in foods. The counselling food industry switched to other safe oils.
Trans fat in these foods
Baked food has the highest content at high temperatures. It is a common dessert such as desserts, biscuits, and doughnuts. It contains ghee, meringue, creamer pineapple, croissants, triple coffee, and deep-fried French fries, fried chicken, etc. Fry, as well as vegetable margarine, etc., mostly contain artificial trans fat.
The National Health Administration also reminded the public that eating as much as possible chooses the natural state of the food, eats less processed foods, and pays attention to food labels to avoid eating trans fats. At the same time, the Dong’s Foundation also pointed out that with the current regulations, packaging marked with “zero” trans fat does not mean there is no trans fat.
According to the “Subject to Nutrition Labeling for Packaged Foods,” when a packaged food contains trans fat not exceeding 0.3 g per 100 g, it may be marked as “0”, which does not mean that it is completely absent. If people do not refrain from eating, they may be unaware of it. Eat too much trans fat.
Avoid trans fats: this picks food
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises consumers that when looking at food labels, the amount of saturated fat and trans fat should be taken into account. It is better to choose the product with the lowest content. In addition, if a partially hydrogenated oil is included in the food ingredients, the product will also contain a small amount of artificial trans fat.
Although it will soon be banned, there are still many imported goods on the market. The Consumers’ Union of China also reminded the public to avoid marking hydrogenated vegetable oils, vegetable emulsified oils, refined vegetable oils, or hydrogenated and shortening, margarine, trans fat, and unsaturated fat when purchasing. The product.
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