Eating more may increase the risk of dementia, trans fat adds another "guilt"

In the ingredient list of food packaging bags, we often see "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oil In fact, this refers to trans fat Trans fats are present in small amounts in some animal products (such as red meat, cheese and whole milk), but most of them are produced in industrial processes It is well known that excessive intake of trans fat is related to the development of coronary heart disease and diabetes Now, the list of trans fat hazards may add another one: dementia A new study published by researchers at Kyushu University in the journal Neurology of the American Academy of Neurology shows that people with high levels of trans fat in their blood are more likely to develop dementia in later life Data from this new study are from a prospective cohort study, the Hisayama study In 2002-2003, the Hisayama study collected blood samples and health information from 1628 people, all of whom were 60 years old and over, and who did not suffer from dementia At the beginning of the study, the researchers measured the level of trans oleic acid in their serum, the main trans fat formed during hydrogenation of vegetable oil, which is considered an indicator of trans fat intake According to this index, subjects were divided into four groups Subjects were also screened for dementia in 2005 and 2012, including Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia During an average follow-up period of 10.2 years, 377 subjects suffered from dementia, including 247 cases of Alzheimer's disease and 102 cases of vascular dementia After adjusting for variables such as high blood pressure, diabetes, current exercise levels, and smoking, the researchers found that overall, the risk of developing dementia increased significantly as the amount of trans fat in the serum increased The highest level of trans oleic acid increased the risk of dementia by 52% compared with the lowest group, and the second highest group increased the risk of dementia by 74%, which seemed to be more affected The findings, broken down into Alzheimer's and vascular dementia, are similar After adjusting the subjects' total calorie intake, saturated and polyunsaturated fat intake, these correlations were still very obvious At the beginning of the study, the information covered the intake of 150 foods in 23 categories The researchers focused on seven of these trans fats, including grains, candy, animal and plant fats, sugar and sweeteners, spices, meat and dairy products The study found that dessert was the most likely food to increase the level of trans oleic acid in serum, followed by margarine and sugar products such as candy, caramel and chewing gum In addition, croissants, non dairy creams, ice cream and rice cakes are also related to the high level of trans oleic acid in serum The results show that avoiding foods with high trans fat content may reduce the risk of dementia in the future The researchers also pointed out some limitations of the study, such as the determination of trans oleic acid in serum only once There are also great differences in people 's diet between different regions, and further research is needed for other groups outside Japan Dr Toshiharu Ninomiya, research leader at Kyushu University, said, "this adds a new reason for us to reject trans fats." In 2018, who called on the global food supply to stop the use of industrial trans fats, and formulated relevant guidance to eliminate these harmful compounds by 2030 There is not enough evidence to determine whether trans fats, which are naturally present in food, are equally harmful "Because trans oleic acid is an exogenous fatty acid, when you buy packaged food, it is necessary to check whether the nutrition label is marked with '0 g trans fat' and there is no hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list," said Dr klodian dhana, from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago It is recommended to replace trans fats with healthier unsaturated fats, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats The intake of brain healthy food should be increased, especially green leafy vegetables, berries, whole grains, fish, poultry, nuts and olive oil, and red meat, fried food, cakes and sweets should be restricted "