Cardiac Arrests Are Not Associated With Trans Fat Consumption

DaveFoster

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This one's an interesting study, as it argues against the commonly touted mantra that decries trans-fatty acids as the harbinger of destruction in processed foods. Those with ready access to unhealthy food sources experience higher rates of cardiac arrest, but the researchers found that, in the population studied, not only did no relationship exist between the circulating levels of trans-fatty acids and the rate of sudden cardiac arrest, but that people living near to unhealthy food sources had a lower level of circulating trans-fatty acids.

The study suggests that some other factor is at play. Could it be perhaps the polyunsaturated fats?

"...our procedure for estimating food outlet density within each tract for each year comprised: 1) geocoding each businesses’ reported address, 2) using SIC codes and business names to classify each retail establishment into potentially health relevant categories informed by previous literature, of which healthy food sources (e.g. supermarkets, fish markets) and unhealthy food sources (e.g. fast food restaurants, bakeries)."

"We explored links between food environments, dietary intake biomarkers, and sudden cardiac arrest in a population-based longitudinal study using cases and controls accruing between 1990 and 2010 in King County, WA. Surprisingly, presence of more unhealthy food sources near home was associated with a lower 18:1 trans-fatty acid concentration (−0.05% per standard deviation higher count of unhealthy food sources, 95% ConfidenceInterval [CI]: 0.01, 0.09). However, presence of more unhealthy food sources was associated with higher odds of cardiac arrest (Odds Ratio [OR]: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.19, 4.41 per standard deviation in unhealthy food outlets). While unhealthy food outlets were associated with higher cardiac arrest risk, circulating 18:1 trans fats did not explain the association."

Neighborhood food environment, dietary fatty acid biomarkers, and cardiac arrest risk - ScienceDirect
 

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