Trans Fats and Risks of Cardiovascular Diseases: Facts or Artifacts?

Abstract Trans fatty acids (TFAs) are produced either from biohydrogenation or industrial hydrogenation. Industrial TFAs are deleterious and might lead to various pathologies, such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and cancers. The molecular mechanisms mediated by TFAs and their association to diseases remain unclear. Thereby, although a number of studies strongly showed that TFAs lower HDL-cholesterol and raise LDL-cholesterol, one can argue that LDL-cholesterol is not the main factor that leads to CVDs, and so statins might be unnecessary. In this regards, an international policy consensus is necessary to take efficient public health and research actions (e.g., use of dietary guidelines, health promotion programs, mandatory labeling of TFAs content in foods, voluntary agreements with the food industry to reduce/ban TFAs, and produce alternative healthier fat sources, various meta-analyses). This chapter provides a critical update and discussion on TFAs, their relative effects on health, and considers future prospects to reduce or ban them from our diet.