High intakes of saturated and hydrogenated fats increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease, one of the world’s leading causes of death. The World Health Organisation is therefore preparing guidelines to advise governments and their citizens on the intake of these nutrients.

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The organisation offers guidance on the consumption of saturated fats, with the aim of reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults and children.

According to the agency, saturated fats should not exceed 10 % of total daily calorie intake and trans fats should be reduced to 1 %.

Policymakers and programme managers are also advised to advise the public on the consequences of consuming saturated and trans fats and on measures that can be taken to prevent them. They also insist that action be taken, both by governments and by the health sector in particular, to preserve the health of the population.

According to the nutrition director of the Organisation, “consumers do not even notice the removal of trans fats” and adds that “producers can use other fats with the same properties and you can eat a delicious croissant that has no trans fats”.

The WHO says that although trans fats have been almost completely phased out in Western Europe, excessive amounts are still consumed in poorer regions.

Cardiovascular diseases
Non-communicable diseases are responsible for about 72% of deaths worldwide, equivalent to 39.5 million deaths. Among these, cardiovascular diseases predominate and were the leading cause of NCD mortality in 2016.

Many of the factors that lead to these conditions are preventable. For example, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, smoking and excessive alcohol intake are some of them.

Saturated and hydrogenated fats play a major role, as their consumption is directly related to the risk of cardiovascular disease.

What are saturated and hydrogenated fats?
In any supermarket, we can buy a wide range of products containing saturated and hydrogenated fats, both of animal and artificial origin.

The former are found in butter, milk, meat, salmon, eggs and various plant-derived products, such as chocolate and palm oil. Trans fats, as well as appearing in foods derived from certain meats and dairy products, can be produced industrially and are therefore found in baked goods, bags of potatoes and many of the oils used by street food vendors or even the cooks in the best restaurants.