Safety Factors of Oils Marketed in Iran and Applicable Strategies in Control of Food Derived Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

Background: The proposed criteria for a healthy daily diet play a drastic role in the prevention of non-communicable disease. Several cases of acute and chronic diseases occurred due to the presence of toxic and unsafe agents in the body. Trans and some saturated fatty acids as an example of these unfavorable components, could pose some dangerous effects on human health such as cardiovascular disease. Objective: In the current study, health criteria were undertaken to evaluate the safety of collected edible oils samples from Iranian market, and then some of the approaches for elimination and control of arisen health concerns were discussed. Methods: Totally 18 edible oil samples including cooking oil (n=5), frying oil (n=9) and table margarine (n=4) were collected from Tehran local market and were analyzed in 2016. The fatty acid profile was determined by using gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector. Furthermore, the stability of frying oil was also measured by the Rancimat method. Results: All samples contained the trans and saturated fats in concentrations lower than the maximum recommended values (1%, 2% and 4% of trans for cooking oils, frying oils and table margarines, and 30% and 48% of saturation in frying oils and table margarines, respectively). The frying oils demonstrated the desired stability against high temperatures. Optimization of stability was done mainly by the addition of palm oil to the formula in the past. However, based on the fact of the high saturation of palm oil and its carcinogenicity under uncontrolled consumption, a risk assessment conducted in Iran led to the limited import of palm oil. This approach resulted in the production of healthier alternatives in the country. Conclusion: The usage of applicable approaches such as inter-esterification, fractionation and blending by more stable oils fractions is suggested to achieve healthier products.

Assessment and prioritization of the WHO “best buys” and other recommended interventions for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in Iran

“…In terms of regulations, the national standards for salt, sugar, and fat in processed food were revised as follows: salt intake to be reduced from 2.3 to 1%, while sugar and carbonate in industrial juices to be reduced to less than 10%. The SCHFS approved a reduction of palm oil import by 30% as well as the use of trans fatty acids in the confectionery and chocolate industry to less than 10% [58][59][60][61]. More than 1400 nutrition counselors were hired within PHC centers.…”

Food Behaviors and Its Association with Hypertension and Cardiovascular Diseases in Sowme’eh Sara (North of Iran): The PERSIAN Guilan Cohort Study (PGCS)

“…In this regard, dietary habits consisting of types of foods and their preparation method have great impact on health status of individuals ( Mahdavi-Roshan et al, 2016 ; Mahdavi-Roshan et al, 2017 ). Following the global action plans aimed to decrease NCDs by governments, reformulation of industrial food products and changing the food style to deliver limited risk factors by diet have been initiated in Iran in recent years ( Jamali et al, 2020 ; Moslemi et al, 2020 ). On the other hand, modernization of societies toward changes in food habits and consumption of less-nutritious foods has also increased the rate of metabolic syndromes (accounted as 38% in Iran) which are associated with incidence of NCDs ( Faramarzi et al, 2019 ).…”