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June 6, 2025
Global Research Yields New Insights Into Differences Between Natural and Industrial Trans Fats
Canadian scientists recently joined with international colleagues to lead new insights into the health implications of different types of trans fat. The findings were presented at the 10th Congress for the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids & Lipids (ISSFAL), May 26-30, 2012 in Vancouver.
The research presented builds on knowledge about natural trans fats � trans fats that are produced by ruminant animals such as beef and dairy cattle, goats and sheep, and found in the milk and meat from these animals. The findings strengthen the evidence that, unlike industrial trans fats, ruminant trans fats are not harmful and may in fact have health-enhancing potential.
�We are learning there is a very important public health message to convey about ruminant trans fats and how these are different from the industrial trans fats that have been targeted as harmful to health,� says Dr. Spencer Proctor, Director of the Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases Laboratory at the University of Alberta in Canada. �The research indicates that consuming these natural trans fats as part of a balanced diet is not a health concern. On the contrary, there is increasing evidence these are �good fats� and could be fundamentally health-enhancing. They should not be an unintended target of the bid to rid the diet of trans fats.�
ISSFAL is an International Scientific Society established in 1991, with members from more than 40 countries including scientists, medical professionals, educators, and others with an interest in the health effects of dietary fats, oils and lipids.
Dr. Proctor chaired a Symposium at the ISSFAL Congress that focused on the health implications of natural ruminant trans fatty acids. The panel included Dr. Jean-Michel Chardigny, National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), France; and Dr. Marianne Uhre Jakobsen, Associate Professor, Public Health, Aarhus University, Denmark.
�Our knowledge of natural trans fats is relatively recent and we will continue to learn more about the human health implications,� says Chardigny. �But clearly we know they are different from industrial trans fats and should not be painted with the same brush.�
Chardigny presented findings of his meta-analysis of 13 human intervention studies that have examined the impact of natural trans fats on cardiovascular risk factors. While there is a large body of research confirming detrimental effects of industrial trans fats, the research to date on natural trans fats has revealed no such effects. �There is no association between natural trans fats intake and cholesterol-dependent cardiovascular risk factors,� says Chardigny.
This conclusion was supported by Jakobsen�s review of epidemiologic studies. �The findings indicate that intake of natural trans fats is not associated with coronary heart disease within the range of intake in the general population.�
The scientific knowledge points to the need to clearly differentiate between natural and industrial trans fats on food labels and in health recommendations. �We want to help the public understand the very different health implications of the two categories of trans fats, including through the information they get on food labels,� says Proctor. �We�re confident we can achieve that by continuing to work together.�
Want to Learn More?
Gebauer SK et al. Effects of ruminant trans fatty acids on cardiovascular disease and cancer: a comprehensive review of epidemiological, clinical, and mechanistic studies. Adv Nutr. 2011 Jul;2(4):332-54.
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