Did junk food fats drop in Americans' blood?
Levels of plasma trans-fatty acids in non-Hispanic white adults in the United States in 2000 and 2009.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Vaccenic acid (a naturally occurring trans fat from animals) dropped by 56%, even though it’s not from industrial sources like margarine.
Most people think only processed foods contain trans fats—but this shows even dairy/meat consumption may have declined, or food processing changed.
Practical Takeaways
Check food labels for 'partially hydrogenated oils'—even if it says '0g trans fat,' small amounts can still be present.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Vaccenic acid (a naturally occurring trans fat from animals) dropped by 56%, even though it’s not from industrial sources like margarine.
Most people think only processed foods contain trans fats—but this shows even dairy/meat consumption may have declined, or food processing changed.
Practical Takeaways
Check food labels for 'partially hydrogenated oils'—even if it says '0g trans fat,' small amounts can still be present.
Publication
Journal
JAMA
Year
2012
Authors
H. Vesper, Heather C. Kuiper, L. Mirel, C. Johnson, J. Pirkle
Related Content
Claims (6)
Dietary intake of industrial trans fatty acids, even at low levels, is causally associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
One of the main types of trans fat in people’s blood — called vaccenic acid — dropped by more than half in just nine years, showing that people were eating less of these harmful fats overall.
In the U.S., the amount of harmful fats from processed foods in people’s blood dropped by more than half between 2000 and 2009, likely because food labels and restaurant rules changed to cut down on these fats.
Three other types of trans fats found in processed foods also dropped sharply in people’s blood between 2000 and 2009, showing the decline wasn’t just one type — it was a widespread change.
This study only looked at white adults in the U.S., so we don’t know if the same drop in trans fats happened in Black, Hispanic, or younger people — the results only apply to this group.