The World Health Organization (WHO) has released updated draft recommendations stating that adults and children should consume a maximum of 10% of their daily calories in the form of saturated fat such as meat and butter and 1% from trans fats to reduce the risk of heart disease. Total fat consumption should not exceed 30% of total energy intake to avoid unhealthy weight gain.
These recommendations, last updated in 2002, are aimed at reducing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which are responsible for an estimated 39.5 million (72%) of the world’s 54.7 million deaths in 2016. Of the major NCDs, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) were the leading cause of NCD mortality in 2016 and were responsible for nearly half of all NCD deaths.
The recommendations can be used by policy-makers and program managers to assess current intake levels of these fatty acids in their populations relative to a benchmark with a view to developing measures to decrease intake of saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids, where necessary, through a range of policy actions and public health interventions.
WHO has invited public comments until June 1 on the recommendations, which it expects to finalize by the end of 2018. During this time, the draft guidelines will also undergo peer review by an external expert group. Once the peer review and public consultation are complete, the guidelines will be finalized and reviewed by the WHO Guidelines Review Committee for final clearance prior to its official release