Study on Blood Biomarkers of Trans Fatty Acids Hopes to Reduce Heart Disease Burden in Nigeria

February 2025

For years, we’ve been told to avoid or limit trans fatty acids found in many processed foods. Trans fats are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and other chronic illnesses, making their regulation a crucial public health measure. In 2018, the US eliminated partially hydrogenated oils, which were a predominant source of artificial trans fatty acids.

The World Health Organization (WHO) package provides guidance to countries to eliminate trans fatty acids. Nigeria, where ischemic heart disease is a major cause of mortality and is now the second leading cause of death nationwide, has outlined its plan to eliminate trans fatty acids in the 2019 National Multisectoral Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases. This study provides a baseline estimate of trans fatty acid levels in adults in the Federal Capital Territory that can be used to evaluate implementation and effectiveness of the national measure. 

In the Federal Capital Territory of central Nigeria, a collaborative team including the University of Abuja in Nigeria (lead organization for the overall grant), Washington University in St. Louis, the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health Center for Global Cardiovascular Health, and other partners was able to use dried blood spots to quantify trans fatty acid in biomarkers in a population in Nigeria. The study, “Blood biomarkers of trans-fatty acid intake among Nigerian adults in the Federal Capital Territory: a cross-sectional study,” was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 

Lisa Hirschhorn, MD, MPH, interim director of Center for Global Cardiovascular Health, is a coauthor on the study. 

The study found that the levels of trans fatty acids were higher in adults younger than 30 years old, those without a high school education, and those living in the highly urbanized Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).  

Providing a baseline assessment of trans-fatty acid exposure among Nigerian adults is important to understand how large a burden exists and measure the impact of national regulations that limit trans fatty acids in foods. Findings from this study may help public health policy makers and practitioners to identify subpopulations for targeted interventions including dietary changes to ultimately decrease life-threatening cardiovascular events.  

“It is important to understand these biomarkers of trans-fat intake and identify high-risk populations as a first step to developing strategies to improve diet and reduce risk,” Hirschhorn explains. 

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (UH3HL152381) and the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University.

Lisa Hirschhorn, MD, MPH is professor of Medical Social Sciences (Implementation Science) and a member of the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health, Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM), Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS), Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, and Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. 

To learn more about the Center for Global Cardiovascular Health, visit their website. 

For details on events, news, and funding opportunities, sign up for the Havey Institute for Global Health newsletter.