Trans Fatty Acids (TFA) are unsaturated fats derived from industrial or natural sources, responsible for more than 500,000 deaths worldwide every year.
On Friday, September 6, 2024, RAID-The Gambia, a public health-focused NGO, raised awareness about the health risks of consuming Trans Fatty Acid-laden foods in The Gambia.
Omar Conteh, Advocacy Communication Officer for RAID-The Gambia, explained that their engagement with the media aimed to inform journalists about the health dangers linked to Trans Fatty Acids.Momodou Gassama, a World Health Organization (WHO) expert, noted that industrial Trans Fats are created by partially hydrogenating liquid oils, such as vegetable oils, to form Partially Hydrogenated Oils (PHO). These harmful fats are also naturally present in meat and dairy products from animals like cows and sheep.
“Trans fats contribute to heart attacks and are a significant cause of death worldwide,” Gassama emphasized.
“They are commonly used in packaged foods to extend shelf life and in deep frying because they remain stable longer than natural oils. Each year, more than 500,000 people die due to trans fats—approximately one death every second.”Gassama further highlighted that 90% of the global population, around 6 billion people, live in countries without regulations protecting them from industrially produced trans fats.
He recommended that The Gambia adopt a national limit of 2 grams of industrial trans fat per 100 grams of total fat in all foods, alongside a complete ban on the use of Partially Hydrogenated Oils in food production.
He added that healthier alternatives, such as oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), can replace PHOs. Examples of PUFA-rich oils include safflower, corn, sunflo.
Seyfo Singhated, Senior Programme Officer at the Ministry of Health’s Non-Communicable Diseases Unit, echoed the importance of advocacy in promoting healthier diets across the country.
