WHO shocked the UN and the medical world with its latest report on trans fats this past Monday. The agency calls them, ‘a toxic chemical that kills’. And it wants the stuff banned immediately….
War on trans fats, with 5 billion lives at risk worldwide, not sexy
enough to compete with the real, live shooting war
in Ukraine where far fewer are at risk.
Could be the WHO is miffed that the UN has not followed through on a resolution to ban trans fats world-wide by this year (2023). And – thus far, anyway – nothing has been done about it?
The 2022 WHO report on global trans fat elimination, published this past Monday, says, plainly and without any note of alarm, that, five billion people are at an increased risk of heart disease and death due to trans fats. The unspoken message is, “It’s as simple as that.”
The WHO issued an appeal in 2018 for trans fat to be eliminated worldwide by 2023 after finding it caused 500,000 premature deaths every year. The substance clogs arteries and raises cholesterol.
In a news release, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained: “Trans fat has no known benefit, and huge health risks that incur huge costs for health systems. By contrast, eliminating trans fat is cost effective and has enormous benefits for health. Put simply, trans fat is a toxic chemical that kills, and should have no place in food. It’s time to get rid of it once and for all.”
So what’s the problem?
According to a Yahoo! News story, the news isn’t all bad: “Forty-three countries have now implemented best-practice policies. [However,] there are more than five billion people who still remain unprotected. “Egypt, Australia, South Korea, Iran, Pakistan and Ecuador are among countries that have high rates of heart disease from trans fat and have not enacted policies to remove the substance, which are often found in packaged foods, baked goods, cooking oils and spreads. […] Countries such as Ukraine, Mexico, Bangladesh and Philippines are expected to implement trans fat policies soon.”
But that still leaves more than 5 billion people globally – more than half the world’s current population – at risk.
More than you thought there was to know
There’s much more to read and know about trans fats. The Yahoo! News story is packed with facts and figures, including helpful sections about what trans fats are and which foods contain them.
So…
Why haven’t we been hearing about this issue all along? Might be because the issue has been resolved in our part of the world, on our elevated level of society. “We’re okay, Jack,” industry and authorities alike have agreed, “so let the rest of the world figure out its position and do what needs to be done. On its own. NIMBY.” At the same time, Western Europe, the U.S. and Canada are among a growing group sending an increasingly powerful weapons to Ukraine – because the war with Russia there poses a clear and present danger to world peace – which includes the countries sending aid to Ukraine.
Where the blame comes down…
At least some of the blame has to be placed on the shoulders of the international media, who clearly have decided that the war on trans fats is not sexy enough to compete with the real, live shooting war in Eastern Europe..
Muse on that…
~Maggie J.