Nexus - 0602 - New Times Magazine-pages

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consciously avoided animal fats typically consumed far more than 12 grams of trans fat per day. consciously avoided animal fats typically consumed far more than NNMS agencies. John Weihrauch—a USDA scientist, not an 12 grams of trans fat per day. industry representative—surreptitiously slipped the letter to Dr Enig. She and her colleagues replied by asking: "If the trade r he ISEO did not want the American public to hear about the association truly believes 'that trans fatty acids do not pose any debate on hydrogenated vegetable oils. For Enig, this harm to humans and animals'...why are they so concerned about translated into the sound of doors closing. But, a poster any levels of consumption and why do they so vehemently and so presentation she organised for a campus health fair caught the eye frequently attack researchers whose findings suggest that the con- of the dietetics department chairman who suggested she submit an sumption of trans fatty acids is greater than the values the indus- abstract to the Society for Nutrition Education, many of whose try reports?" members are registered dietitians. Her abstract concluded that The Maryland researchers argued that trans fats should be "\..meal plans and recipes developed for nutritionists and dieti- included in food nutrition labels; but the Hunter and Applewhite tians to use when designing diets to meet the Dietary Guidelines, letter asserted that "there is no documented justification for the dietary recommendation of the American Heart Association or _ including trans acids...as part of nutrition labeling". the Prudent Diet have been examined for trans fatty acid content. During her testimony, Enig also brought up her concerns about Some diet plans are found to contain approximately 7% or more other national food databases, citing their lack of information on of calories as trans fatty acids." The Abstract Review Committee trans. The Food Consumption Survey contained glaring errors— rejected the submission, calling it of "limited interest". reporting, for example, consumption of butter in amounts nearly Early in 1985, the Federation of American Societies for twice as great as what exists in the US food supply, and of mar- Experimental Biology (FASEB) heard more testimony on the garine in quantities nearly half those known to exist in the food trans fat issue. Enig alone represented the alarmist point of view, supply. The NNMS officials responded to Enig's criticism by while Hunter and Applewhite of the dropping the whole section pertaining ISEO and Ronald Simpson, then with to butter and margarine from the 1980 the National Association of tables. Margarine Manufacturers, assured the panel that trans fats in the food T= Enig-ISEO debate was cov- supply posed no danger. Enig report- A ered by the prestigious Food ed on University of Maryland The ISEO did not want the Chemical News and Nutrition research that delineated the differ- American public to hear about Week*\—both widely read by ences in small amounts of naturally the debate on hydrogenated Congress and the food industry, but occurring trans fats in butter, which virtually unknown to the general do not inhibit enzyme function at the vegetable oils. public. National media coverage of cellular level, and man-made trans dietary fat issues focused on the pro- fats in margarines and vegetable ceedings of the National Heart, Lung shortenings, which do. She also and Blood Institute (NHLBI), as this noted a 1981 feeding trial in which enormous bureaucracy ploughed swine fed trans fatty acids developed relentlessly forward with the lipid higher parameters for heart disease hypothesis. In June of 1984, for than those fed saturated fats, especially when trans fatty acids example, the press diligently reported the proceedings of the were combined with added polyunsaturates.” Her testimony was NHLBI's Lipid Research Clinics (LRC) Conference which was omitted from the final report, although her name in the bibliogra- organised to wrap up almost 40 years of research on lipids, cho- phy created the impression that her research supported the lesterol and heart disease. The problem with the 40 years of FASEB whitewash.” NHLBI-sponsored research on lipids, cholesterol and heart dis- In the following year, 1986, Hunter and Applewhite published ease was that it had not produced many answers—at least not an article, exonerating trans fats as a cause of atherosclerosis, in | many answers that pleased the NHLBI. the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition*—which, The ongoing Framingham Study found that there was virtually by the way, is sponsored by companies including Procter & no difference in coronary heart disease (CHD) "events" for indi- Gamble, General Foods, General Mills, Nabisco and Quaker Oats. viduals with cholesterol levels between 205 mg/dL and 294 The authors once again stressed that the average per-capita con- mg/dL—the vast majority of the US population. Even for those sumption of trans fatty acids did not exceed 6 to 8 grams. with extremely high cholesterol levels—up to almost 1,200 Behind the scenes, in a private letter to Dr Kenneth Fischer, mg/dL—the difference in CHD events compared to those in the Director of the Life Sciences Research Office (LSRO), Hunter normal range was trivial. and Applewhite charged that: "...the University of Maryland The NHLBI's Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT) group continues to raise unwarranted and unsubstantiated con- studied the relationship between heart disease and serum choles- cerns about the intake of and imagined physiological effects of terol levels in 362,000 men, and found that annual deaths from trans fatty acids and...they continue to overestimate greatly the CHD varied from slightly less than one per thousand, for serum intake of trans acids by typical Americans." They said: "No one cholesterol levels below 140 mg/dL, to about two per thousand, other than Enig has raised questions about the validity of the food for serum cholesterol levels above 300 mg/dL—once again, a triv- fatty-acid composition data used in NHANES II and...she has not —_—ial difference. Dr John LaRosa, of the American Heart presented sufficiently compelling arguments to justify a major re- Association (AHA), claimed that the curve for CHD deaths began evaluating." to "inflect" after 200 mg/dL, when in fact the "curve" was a very The letter contained numerous other innuendos that Enig had gradually sloping straight line that could not be used to predict mischaracterised the work of other researchers and had been less whether serum cholesterol above certain levels posed a signifi- than scientific in her research. It was widely circulated among cantly greater risk for heart disease. One unexpected MRFIT American public to hear about the debate on hydrogenated vegetable oils. 36 = NEXUS The ISEO did not want the FEBRUARY — MARCH 1999