A Pioneer of Trans Fat Study

choi

Melanie Warner, A Lifelong Fight Against Trans Fats; After decades of food research, more contrarian ideas about fat and heart disease. New York Times, Dec 17, 2013
www.nytimes.com/2013/12/17/healt ... inst-trans-fat.html

the first two paragraphs:

"In 1957, a fledgling nutrition scientist [Fred Kummerow; pronounced KOO-mer-ow; still active at age 99 at the same university] at the University of Illinois persuaded a hospital to give him samples of arteries from patients who had died of heart attacks.

"When he analyzed them, he made a startling discovery. Not surprisingly, the diseased arteries were filled with fat — but it was a specific kind of fat. The artificial fatty acids called trans fats, which come from the hydrogen-treated oils used in processed foods like margarine, had crowded out other types of fatty acids.

My comment:
(a) There is nothing contrarian about it. Almost all research on trans fat haven been clinical study (on humans) and a few laboratory research on live animals; whereas few are done in vitro (cellular, biochemical or molecular). Basically the mechanism of harm, if true, is unknown.

(b) Ganguly R and Pierce GN, Trans Fat Involvement in Cardiovascular Disease. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 56: 1090-1096 (2012). onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mnfr.201100700/full

Quote:

"Through largely epidemiological evidence, trans fatty acid (TFA) intake has been associated with a variety of cardiovascular complications including atherosclerosis. * * * The molecular mechanisms whereby TFAs are delivering their effects are largely unknown."  Abstrct

"TFAs are usually associated with industrially produced trans fats (iTFAs) since many TFAs are found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils that can be converted into semi-solid fats. These iTFAs are used in many baking and manufactured foods. It is estimated that the North American population consumes an average daily intake of 5.8 g or 2.6% of calories from TFAs. However, individual consumption can vary between 1 and 29 g daily. TFAs are also produced within the gut of ruminant animals and are largely found in dairy products and meats. These TFAs are known as ruminant TFAs (rTFAs) and account for 1% or less of TFAs found within our diet."  (text; fotenotes omitted)

"The development of transgenic animals has resulted in excellent models for mimicking atherosclerosis in humans. The LDL receptor deleted mouse is one of the best models for atherosclerosis since it has the ability to develop plaques only in the presence of lipid-rich diets * * *
Just as importantly, subsequent work conducted in the LDL receptor knockout mouse has detected differences between industrially produced TFAs such as elaidic acid and rTFAs such as vaccenic acid. Although the inclusion of the TFA elaidic acid in the diet induced atherogenesis, the inclusion of the TFA vaccenic acid in the diet induced a surprising inhibition of plaque formation. This work may compel us to view TFAs in an entirely different light. We may have to change our current thinking of TFAs as an entire class of deleterious substances and instead pursue the structural characteristics that make some TFAs beneficial."  (text; fotenotes omitted)

* You need not understand how the genetifically modified mice work, which are supposedly more human-like. Understand the conclusion that industrial, or man-made trans fat is harmful, but that natural trans fat (from bovine, for example) seems beneficial.
(ii) The elaidic acid is the trans isomer of oleic acid.
(A) oleic acid
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleic_acid
(18:1 cis-9)
(B) origin of the words:
* Latin oleum "oil"
* elaidic (adj; "Cf F. ['e]la["i]dique. See Elaine"): "relating to oleic acid, or elaine"
dictionary.reference.com/browse/elaidic

The notation means "compare French elaidique."
This "elaine" is distinct from "Elaine," a female given name and the Old French variant of Helen.
Instead this "elaine" is the alternate spelling of olein, which is defined as "any glyceride of oleic acid"
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/olein
("alternative forms: elain, elaine")
(iii) vaccenic acid
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccenic_acid
(shorthand is 18:1 trans-11; The name was derived from the Latin vacca (cow))

A fatty acid  (whose chemical structue is H3C-(CH2)n-COOH) counts carbon atoms starting from that carbon at COOH. Thus "18:1 trans-11" denotes a carbonic acid with 18 carbons and 1 double bond in "trans" between carbon 11 and carbon 12.

(c) Fats and Cholesterol: Out with the Bad, In with the Good, Harvard School of Public Health, undated
www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats-full-story/
(section heading: Very Bad Fats: Trans Fats)