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
Scientists checked blood fat levels in white U.S. adults before and after food labels started showing bad fats — and found those bad fats dropped a lot.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
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A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists checked blood fat levels in white U.S. adults before and after food labels started showing bad fats — and found those bad fats dropped a lot.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 542 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
Vesper HW, Kuiper HC, Mirel LB, Johnson CL, Pirkle JL
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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.