Salud Pública de México (Feb 2021)

The evidence of politics in trans-fatty acid regulation in Mexico

  • Israel Oluwaseyidayo Idris,
  • Ekow Adom Mensah,
  • Nataliia Gavkalova

DOI
https://doi.org/10.21149/11186
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 63, no. 2, Mar-Abr
pp. 268 – 273

Abstract

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According to the World Health Organization, coronary heart disease (CHD)-caused deaths accounted for one-fifth of the total deaths in Mexico in 2017. Researches done in the past have confirmed the association between dietary trans-fatty acids (TFA) and CHD. Dietary TFA are mostly derived from industrial-hydrogenated oils, milk products, and meat fats. This paper is a build on of a policy paper done on international policies for TFA in low-to-middle income countries, using Mexico as the case study. This write up, however, aims to critically analyse the TFA regulation policy process in Mexico, evaluating the strength of evidence proposed and identifying the barriers preventing the usage of the evidence for a TFA regulation policy implementation. Although evidence abounds for TFA regulation policy, lack of effective collaboration and communication among the major actors (researchers, policy­makers, and consumers) in Mexico remains a major setback in its implementation.