Recent Findings about Trans Fat
Some of the traditional Indian sweets and snacks have exorbitantly high trans fat levels. High doses of trans fats coupled with salt in junk foods work together to trigger ill health.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) conducted a study on the salt and trans fat content of commonly consumed Indian packaged foods, snack foods and fast foods.
A total of 23 junk food samples from seven different food categories were collected from Delhi outlets and analyzed for salt, carbohydrates, fat and TFA content. The range of food categories tested in the survey included potato chips, Indian snacks, instant noodles, burgers, pizzas, French fries and carbonated drinks. The above samples were analyzed by the widely and internationally used methodology of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC).
The results showed that having just one serving of the above foods "completely overturned one's daily diet chart in terms of unhealthy fat and salt consumption" The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) prescribe benchmarks for salt, sugar, carbohydrates and fats an individual can have on a daily basis to stay healthy. The content of fat and salt was way ahead of the recommended intake.
CSE noted that the most threatening finding was the trans-fat levels found in the foods which were undisclosed by the companies on the food label. According to WHO, in a balanced diet, a maximum of 1 per cent of total energy should come from trans fats. As per the NIN recommendations of total caloric intake, an adult male can have 2.6 gram of trans fats per day, while an adult female can have 2.1 gram and a child (10-12 years) can have 2.3 gram.
Natural Guidelines -
| Gender | Kilo calories per day | Total Fat (25 - 30 percent of calories) | Trans fats (should be less than 1 percent of total caloric intake) |
| Adult male | 2320 | 39-78 | 2.6 |
| Adult female | 1900 | 35-70 | 2.1 |
| Children (10-12 yrs) | 2100 | 32-64 | 2.3 |
| (Applicable under ideal conditions. Calories vary with age, gender, health status and activity levels.) |
Source: Recommended Dietary Allowances, NIN
Bhujia was seen to contain the highest amount of trans fat per 100 gram. It is important to note that heavy doses of trans fats together with salt – which comes from all the above foods, work together to trigger ill health.
Another study conducted by the Department of Home Science, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India in 2008 looked at the trans fatty acid content of some common Indian foods. The study showed that Indian sweets and snacks are energy-dense with calorie content varying from 136 to 494 kcal/100g in sweets and 148-603 kcal/100g in snacks.
The study analyzed the TFA content. TFA content of sweets varied from 0.3 to 17.7g/100g and of snacks from 0.1 to 19.8 g/100g which are huge amounts of this deadly fat.
These are among the larger studies to determine the TFA content of commonly used fast-foods in India and show that some of the traditional Indian sweets and snacks have exorbitantly high levels.
