Not all trans fats are dangerous to consume, it was claimed today.
Dr Marcus Kleber, of Heidelberg University, Germany, and colleagues looked into the impact on health of the various forms of trans fatty acids.
Some forms occur naturally in foods such as dairy and meat products, and others occur when oil is hydrogenised in order to make it solid for use in processed foods such as cakes, biscuits and pies.
A great deal of research indicates that consuming high levels of industrially produced trans fatty acids is linked to high cholesterol, heart problems, strokes, diabetes, and other illnesses. In response, government guidelines have restricted their use in foods. But it remains unclear at what level of consumption they are safe.
The team measured trans fatty acid concentrations in red blood cells from 3,259 participants who were tested for heart disease and followed for about ten years. During this time, 30% of the patients died.
"We were surprised to find that naturally occurring trans fatty acids were associated with a lower rate of deaths from any cause, and this was driven mainly by a lower risk of sudden cardiac death," said Dr Kleber.
"We were also surprised to see that increases in the concentrations of industrially produced trans fatty acids were not followed by increased mortality, which stands in contrast to observations from the United States," he adds.
"The reason for this may be, that in our group of German patients, trans fatty acids were in general much lower than those found in the United States."
The study is published today (23 September) in the European Heart Journal.
Kleber, M. E. et al. Trans Fatty Acids and Mortality in Patients referred for Coronary Angiography – The Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health Study. European Heart Journal 22 September 2015 doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehv446
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