Latest from Food Politics: Industry funded study of the week: Trans fats

Thanks to Earlene Cruz, a doctoral student in my NYU department, for sending this contribution to my collection, a press release from the University of Reading. Natural Trans Fats in Dairy Do Not Raise Heart Disease Risk:Researchers at the University of ...

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By Marion Nestle November 02 2026 Industry funded study of the week: Trans fats Thanks to Earlene Cruz, a doctoral student in my NYU department, for sending this contribution to my collection, a press release from the University of Reading. Natural Trans Fats in Dairy Do Not Raise Heart Disease Risk:Researchers at the University of Reading found that naturally occurring trans fats in dairy foods are not linked to higher risk of heart disease or type 2 diabetes, distinguishing them from industrial trans fats. Read More It links to the original paper: Trans fatty acids from dairy foods do not affect risk of cardiometabolic diseases: systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence from randomized controlled trials and systematic review of prospective cohort studies.  Nutr Res. 2026;150:33–48. Its highlights: Trans fatty acid (TFA)-enhanced vs. regular dairy show no lipid biomarker differences. Circulating dairy TFA shows no association with type 2 diabetes risk. Circulating dairy TFA shows no association with cardiovascular disease risk. TFA from dairy foods is not associated with adverse cardiometabolic outcomes. Sources of support: This research was funded by the National Dairy Council (NDC), USA, and Centre National Interprofessionnel de l’Economie Laitière (CNIEL). Author declarations: C.S. received research funding from Dairy Management, Inc. C.G.-B. and F.T.-A. work for the French dairy organization, CNIEL. M.T.-G. works for the National Dairy Council. D.-I.G. has received funding from various international dairy organizations. Comment: This is a literature review funded by the dairy industry and conducted by employees or recipients of research funding from dairy companies or trade associations.  Industrially hydrogenated trans fats demonstrably raise the risk of heart disease.  Ruminant animals naturally hydrogenate unsaturated fats and convert them to trans fats.  These differ in some ways from industrial trans fats, but are still trans fats.  Whether naturally occurring trans fats are as harmful as industrial trans fats is of great concern to the dairy industry, which would like to prove that dairy fats do not raise the risk of heart disease.  Animal welfare groups such as the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine argue that dairy fats do raise such risks.  Hence, this review.  This question would be easier to resolve if the investigators doing the research were independent. The post Industry funded study of the week: Trans fats appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle      Related Posts Industry-funded study of the week: dairy trans fats Industry funded study of the week: Beef Most studies criticizing the Nova classification of ultra-processed foods are funded by food companies   Now Available: What to Eat Now My new book, What to Eat Now, is officially out! It's both a field guide to food shopping in America and a reflection on how to eat well—and deliciously. For more information and to order, click here. You can explore the full archive of this (almost) daily blog at foodpolitics.com, where you'll also find information about my books, articles, media interviews, upcoming lectures, favorite resources, and FAQs. Visit the Site » ​​​​​​​ Marion Nestle Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, Emerita © Marion Nestle. You're receiving this email because you've signed up to receive updates from us. If you'd prefer not to receive updates, you can unsubscribe. Safely Unsubscribe • Archives • Preferences • Contact • Subscribe • Privacy

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