CONTRIBUTION OF TRANS FATTY ACIDS BY FOODS MOST PREFERABLY CONSUMED BY A GROUP OF STUDENTS

• Published in: Annals of nutrition and metabolism 2017-10, Vol.71 (Suppl. 2), p.1307
• Main Authors: Ceuppens, Laura Graciela Mereles, Mendez, Eva Eugenia Coronel, Wiszovaty, Lourdes, Caballero, Silvia, Piris, Patricia, Michajluk, Javier Boris, Pino, Silvia Stella Araujo, Cespedes, Laura Elizabeth Gonzalez, Rabito, Ana Carolina Aguilar, Martínez, Macarena Morínigo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Baked goods; Bakery products; Bread; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular system; Careers; Cheese; Colleges & universities; Cultural characteristics; Disks; Fatty acids; Food; Food consumption; Food preferences; Food selection; Frying; Grain; Heart diseases; Hydrogenation; Organic chemistry; Spectrometry; Students; Trans fats; Trans fatty acids; University students
• ISSN: 0250-6807; 1421-9697
• DOI: 10.1159/000480486

Background and objectives: The selection of food for college students is determined by socio-cultural characteristics, economic availability and feasibility of access to them, which in general have high fat contents, and all would indicate that also trans fatty acids (TFA) from the partial hydrogenation of oils. The WHO recommends that consumption not exceed 1% of VT of trans fatty acids (TFA) as a strategy for prevention, reduction and control of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the aim of the present work was to identify the foods most preferably consumed by university students of the Biochemistry career of the Faculty of Chemical Sciences of the National University of Asuncion and determine in them the content of total AGT. Methods: In 51 university students, we carried out a cross-sectional study and applied a Food Consumption preference (FCP) survey based on the LATINFOODS categories. For the quantification of total TFAs, food samples were taken from canteens and we used the Infrared Spectrometry (IR) method according to the specifications of the official methods of AOAC (994.14. and 965.34). Results: The average age of university students was 22.7 ± 2.8 years, 84% were female. Of the 60 foods in the FCP, we observed that the sandwich (with ingredients such as bread, butter, ham and cheese) was the food most frequently consumed in the week, followed by whole-grain crackers, baked goods and fried pies. The total TFA contents of industrial origin were: 2.64±0.24gTFA/100g in whole-grain crackers (brand A), 2.49±0.50gTFA/100g in whole crackers (brand B), 3.80±0.26 gAGT/100 g in the semi-defatted doughs, 3.20±0.14gAGT/100g in the frying pastry disks and 2.81±0.22gAGT/100g in sandwiches. Conclusions: The AGT content varies by food group and serving size. All foods analyzed contain significant amounts of TFA (≥0,2g/portion) and it was observed that TFAs of industrial origin account for 15 to 39% of the fat in the foods analyzed. The results obtained alert the need to reinforce the strategies to reduce the content consumption of TFA in order to prevent cardiovascular diseases.