VOA健康报道2023--WHO Calls for Removal of Trans Fat in 2023

WHO Calls for Removal of Trans Fat in 2023

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a total ban on what it calls industrially produced trans fatty acids worldwide in 2023.

The health organization said the artificially produced form of fat is responsible for half a million early deaths each year. Products containing trans fat are commonly found in baked goods and cooking oils.

In 2020, the WHO said more than 58 countries have introduced laws to protect people from artificial trans fat. But, it said, more than 100 countries should remove them from their food supplies.

The health agency reported that two-thirds of the deaths that it blames on trans fat happened in 15 countries. Of these countries, Canada, Latvia, Slovenia, and the United States have set limits on or banned artificial trans fat. But many countries have yet to take action. In Asia, the countries are Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Iran, and South Korea. Others include Ecuador, Mexico and Egypt.

Tom Frieden is head of the public health organization Resolve to Save Lives. The organization is working with the WHO to remove artificial trans fat from the international food supply. He said the total removal of trans fat from food could prevent up to 17 million deaths from heart-related disease by 2040.

What is trans fat?

The American Heart Association is a non-profit group that supports heart health and research. It says there are two different kinds of trans fat

Natural trans fat forms in the gut¹ of some animals and foods made from these animals such as milk and meat products.

Artificial trans fat, also called trans fatty acids, is created through an industrial process that adds hydrogen to vegetable oils. Food makers² use this lower-cost oil so food will stay fresh longer.

Trans fat can be found in foods such as donuts, cakes, cookies and deep-fried foods. Baked goods that sit on store shelves for many months but remain soft and moist usually contain trans fat. This is because the oil remains³ solid at room temperature.

Frieden from Resolve to Save Lives said it is important to understand the difference between artificial trans fat and saturated⁴ fat. He called trans fat "a toxic⁵ chemical" which should be completely removed from the food supply. That is different from saturated fat, a common substance in many food groups, which "nobody is proposing to ban."

Frieden said, "Think of artificial trans fat as the tobacco of nutrition. It has no values."

Efforts to remove trans fast

In 2018, the WHO launched a step-by-step guide calling on governments around the world to remove artificial trans fat from the food supply. The guide urges governments to replace trans fat with oils such as olive oil, creating public awareness⁶ of the harms of trans fat, and enforcing the anti-trans fat policies and laws.

By the end of 2020, the health agency said new laws have protected more than 3.2 billion people from the substance.

Most of the action came from wealthy countries and areas. But several low- and lower-middle-income countries including Bangladesh, India, the Philippines and Ukraine also followed WHO's best practices for artificial trans fat. India's policy covers more than 1 billion people. And Nigeria is expected to join South Africa as the second African country to remove trans fats.

Frieden noted⁷ 5 billion people are still at risk from trans fat. He said governments can stop preventable deaths by enacting⁸ WHO's best-practice policies.

"Policy wins in one country can help encourage other countries to take action," Frieden noted. He added that countries like India and Bangladesh could be examples for all of South and Southeast Asia. And Nigeria, along with South Africa, would become "a leader for Africa."

Words in This Story

artificially –adv. manufactured by people and not created by natural processes

gut –n. the internal organs of an animal; specifically, the intestines⁹

deep-fried –adj. cooking by completely placing a food in very hot oil

shelf –n. a flat surface in a store that hold products for sale

moist –adj. a little wet, not dry or soaked

awareness –n. having some knowledge of an issue but not fully¹⁰ centering attention on it

practices –n. (pl.) things that are done repeatedly to get a desired result

encourage –v. to cause someone to do something using different methods

1 gut   

n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏

参考例句：

• It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
• My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。

2 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 saturated   

a.饱和的，充满的

参考例句：

• The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
• a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液

5 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

6 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 enacting   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Generally these statutes apply only to wastes from reactors outside the enacting state. 总之，这些法令只适宜用在对付那些来自外州的核废料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• In addition, the complexion of enacting standards for live working is described. 另外，介绍了带电作业标准的制订情况。

9 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。