Consumption of Trans Fats Linked to Worse Memory

Men who ate more performed poorly on word recall test

WEDNESDAY, June 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Consumption of trans fats may negatively affect memory, according to research findings published online June 17 in PLOS ONE.

In the study, researchers evaluated data from 645 healthy men who were asked to complete a dietary survey and take part in a memory test. The test involved a set of 104 cards, each bearing a word. The men had to say whether each word was new or if it had been shown to them before.

On average, men 45 and younger recalled 86 words. But for each additional gram of trans fats consumed daily, their performance dropped by 0.76 words, the study revealed. Men whose daily diet contained about 16 grams of trans fats recalled 12 fewer words correctly, while men who consumed as much as 28 grams of trans fats daily recalled about 21 fewer words.

On June 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled that partially hydrogenated oils are no longer "generally recognized as safe," the designation that for decades has allowed companies to use the oils in a wide variety of food products. Companies have until June 18, 2018, to either reformulate their products and remove all partially hydrogenated oils, or petition the FDA to permit specific uses of the oils, the agency announced.

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