Alemayehu Teffera, 35, is a resident of Addis Ababa. He is single. During the last 10 years, he had no time to cook his own food at home. Therefore, he resorts to eating out in restaurants or buying food from shops or street vendors on his way back home. One day, while walking he fell down. His friends and relatives called a taxi and rushed him to a medium clinic.
Despite the utmost efforts of the physician his condition could not improve and he finally got paralyzed. Finally, the physician said that the illness was beyond his capacity and referred the case to Yekatit 12 Hospital for further examination. After intensive medical test, the physician, with a bright face, whispered something into Alemayehu’s ear.
Alemayehu nodded his head and agreed by the idea. The younger sister of the patient asked the physician ‘what is wrong?’. Silently, the physician went to office and came back with a white paper. He told her “Your brother is exposed to perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) and hypertension.” Later on, with his colleagues, the physician made the surgery and cured him from PPU. Finally, the physician warned him to avoid spicy, saturated trans-fat foods from his dish.
Tegene Regassa (Dr.) Public Relation Director with Ministry of Health says about 50 percent of deaths in Ethiopia are caused by Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) that are highly related to trans-fats. Trans-fats, also known as trans-fatty acids, are a type of fat found in small amounts in a wide variety of foods, so said Dr. Salahadine Mohammed an internist at Bitaniya Special Clinic. He went on saying that they are considered ‘bad’ because they can increase levels of Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood.
Trans-fats can also decrease the level of ‘good’ High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and may increase the level of triglycerides, another type of fat in the blood. Small amounts of trans fats occur naturally in meat and dairy products, but the largest source of these lipids in the human diet comes from artificial sources, such as partially hydrogenated vegetable oils used in cooking and food preparation, which exposed people to Non Communicable Diseases(NCDs.)
According to World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 report, every year 40.5 million people die due to NCDs such as heart failure, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes worldwide. Many restaurants and fast-food outlets use trans-fats to deep-fry foods because oils with tran-fats can be used many times in commercial fryers. “We also consume trans-fats through seemingly ‘harmless’ products like biscuits, cakes , pastries and chocolates etc.’’
Kifle Habte is Food Science and Nutrition Associate Researcher at Ethiopian Public Health Institute. He said a growing body of evidence has linked consumption of trans-fats from artificial sources to cardiovascular disease. It is estimated that a two percent increase in energy uptake from trans-fats is associated with a 23 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It is also linked to overweight/ obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and some types of cancer, he added.
Meat and dairy products contain trasfats. It is also known as ruminant transfat. These fats are completely natural and harmless, if consumed within limits, Kifle said. Studies indicated that natural transfats are formed by bacteria in the stomach of cattle, sheep and goats. These trans-fats make up 3–7 percent of the total fat in dairy products, such as milk and cheese, 3–10 per cent in beef and lamb and just 0–2 percent in chicken and pork.
Additionally, foods containing less than 0.5 grams of trans-fats per meal are labeled as having 0 grams of trans-fats. Processed foods and oils provide approximately 80 percent of trans-fats in the diet, compared to 20 percent that occur naturally in food from animal sources. According to Dr. Salahadine artificial trans-fats are also known as industrial trans-fats or hydrogenated fats.
These fats are mainly formed during hydrogenation, a process in which hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to form a semi-solid product known as partially hydrogenated oil. This changes the chemical structure of the oil, turning it from the liquid state to solid. The bad fats (saturated and transfats), tend to be more solid at room temperature (like a stick of butter). After they have been hydrogenated the vegetable oils have a much longer shelf life and are solid at the room temperature.
These fats are very harmful for human body and should be avoided. Studies have linked consumption of trans-fats to heart disease, inflammation, higher “bad” LDL cholesterol and lower “good” HDL cholesterol levels, Dr. Salahadine said. Dr. Salahadine advised that increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat and sugar but low in vitamin minerals and other healthy micro-nutrients coupled with decreased levels of physical activity are the fundamental causes behind the rising levels of obesity.
Unless preventive measures are taken immediately, such children are likely to stay obese until adulthood and are more likely to develop NCDs like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age. He suggested that in order to avoid trans-fatty acids people should avoid ghee for any kind of cooking, not heat oil for a long time before and during cooking and not re-use oil for frying. Rather they have to use smaller vessel at home for deep frying, limit the consumption of baked/processed foods like biscuit, pan-cake, chips, fried savory mixtures, choose lean cuts of meat and low dairy products.
Therefore, while food companies are reducing trans-fat content of their products, a number of foods still contain artificial trans-fats. To reduce intake, it is best to read ingredients lists carefully and limit intake of the products listed below. As per WHO’s recommendation, trans-fat intake should be limited to less than one percent of total energy intake. In May 2018, WHO launched a comprehensive plan to eliminate industrially produced trans-fat from the global food supply by 2023.
It provides a road-map about how countries can remove and replace all trans-fat from their food supplies with the intention to eradicate it from the globe. “In Ethiopia, there is no specific research which identifies the number of people who consume saturated fatty acids or the magnitude of the impact; neither are there studies which assess the scale of the danger of saturated fatty acid.” says Afendi Ousman, Non Communicable Diseases Officer at Ministry of Health.
To prevent the diseases triggered by trans-fats, the Ministry has prepared national strategic action plan that strengthens the effort to prevent and control NCDs and restrain risk factors, according to Tegene. Considering that unhealthy diet is a major cause of many diseases and early death as well, the ministry has also been raising awareness of the public to avoid unhealthy diets which lead them to NCDs, he said.
To reduce risks that may occur due to expired products, the government has introduced electronic technology that tests the freshness of food, beverages and medicine. The technology would detect unsafe or expired food staffs, Tegene added.
The Ethiopian Herald, March 28/2019
BY GIRMACHEW GASHAW
