Risks of trans fat-induced CVDs on the rise in country

Bangladesh is seeing a rise in deaths due to Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) caused by Trans Fatty Acid (TFA) or trans-fat, reports UNB.

Trans-fat is one of the major causes of increased risks of heart diseases. Bangladesh ranks among 15 countries with the highest number of CVD deaths caused by trans-fat, PROGGA said in a press release.

Every year 277,000 people die in Bangladesh due to heart diseases where 4.41 per cent of the deaths are attributable to trans-fat. Globally 250,000 people die of heart diseases annually per year due to trans-fat.

Partially Hydrogenated Oil (PHO) is the prime source of trans-fat, which is known as daldaor bonospoti oil locally.

In a recent study conducted by the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, 92 per cent of sampled PHOs from Dhaka city contain TFA levels above the 2 per cent limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The sampled PHOs even showed a staggering high concentration of TFA, 20.9g per 100 grams, which is more than 10 times the WHO-set threshold.