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The Overhyping of Non-Dairy Creamer
2016-01-12
The question posed by the original poster is whether the dangers of non-dairy creamer are exaggerated, not whether the dangers of trans fats are exaggerated. Several of the responses I’ve seen seem to have slightly missed the mark.
Here’s a link first.
The official release of China’s residents’ intake levels of trans fatty acids and the results of their risk assessment has been announced. (
@Zhang Jiacheng I’ve posted a more detailed PDF version of the data in the comments section of the question.
http://www.cfsa.net.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/20130710104109688.pdf The report released by the National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA) states: “The energy contribution from trans fatty acids consumed by Chinese individuals through their diet accounts for only 0.16% of total dietary energy intake. Even among residents of large cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou, this figure is just 0.34%, far below the WHO-recommended limit of 1% and significantly lower than the intake levels observed among residents in developed Western countries. Thus, previous media reports have greatly exaggerated the health risks posed by trans fatty acids to current Chinese residents.” Therefore, it can be concluded that, at present, trans fatty acids do not yet pose a threat to the health of the vast majority of Chinese people. Of course, the assessment report also notes that “although the overall intake of trans fatty acids among Chinese residents remains relatively low at present, surveys have found that approximately 0.4% of urban residents exceed the WHO’s recommended intake level.”
Since the question is about vegetable shortening powder, and the asker pointed out that “talking about toxicity without considering dosage is simply misleading,” let’s do a rough calculation of the dosage. According to data from CFSA in 2011, the per capita intake of trans fats among residents of Beijing and Guangzhou was 0.55 g/day, accounting for an average energy contribution of 0.30%. (For details, see the PDF version posted above; the previously mentioned figure of 0.34% actually refers to the 3–6 age group in this PDF, but the numbers are pretty much the same.) Roughly speaking, when per capita trans-fat intake reaches about 1.8 g/day, it will be approaching the WHO limit (an energy contribution of 1%). Therefore, residents of Beijing and Guangzhou would need to increase their daily intake of trans fats by an average of 1.25 g on top of their current consumption to reach the safety threshold. Now, how much instant coffee would it take to provide 1.25 g of trans fats? The following chart shows the nutritional information for a certain brand of instant coffee, which lists zero grams of trans fatty acids per 100 grams. China’s “General Rules for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods” stipulates that if the content of trans fatty acids in 100 grams of food is less than 0.3 grams, it can be labeled as “0.” (Hmm, saying that trans fats are labeled as “0” is just another form of commercial fraud—how absurd!) So let’s assume that this particular instant coffee contains exactly 0.3 grams of trans fats per 100 grams—just to be on the safe side. Then, to get 1.25 g of trans fats, you’d need more than 400 grams of this instant coffee... I hope I’ve calculated that right... So, for now, the vast majority of Chinese consumers don’t need to worry about exceeding the safe limit for trans fat intake simply by drinking instant coffee containing vegetable shortening powder.
Of course, I’m by no means trying to whitewash trans fats or encourage people to overlook the potential health risks they pose. It’s still essential to keep intake of foods high in trans fats—such as cream-filled cookies, cream cakes, and the like—under control.
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