…and what’s the problem with them?
A diet high in trans fats is strongly associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and related mortality. Globally, PAHO estimates that over half a million deaths each year are due to industrial trans fats, and 160,000 in Latin America.
As Latin Americans switch to diets featuring more ‘ultra-processed’ food – the sale of these products in Latin America has increased by 26.7% between 2000 and 2013, according to PAHO – health problems associated with trans fats have also risen.
The WHO recommends either limiting trans fats to a maximum of 2% in all foods or prohibiting partially hydrogenated oils, which are a major source.
Photo: GettyImages/Bloomberg
