Trans Fat Free by 2023-A Building Block of the COVID-19 Response

COVID-19 has brought to center stage the most important health issue of our era, largely ignored by policymakers and the public to date: non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the cause of 71% of deaths per year worldwide. People living with NCDs, and particularly those living with cardiovascular disease (CVD), are at higher risk of severe symptoms and death from COVID-19. As a result, the urgent need for policy measures to protect cardiovascular health is more apparent than ever. One example of low-hanging fruit in the prevention of CVD is the elimination of industrially-produced trans fatty acids (iTFA). Their removal from the global food supply could prevent up to 17 million deaths by 2040 and would be the first time an NCD risk factor has been eliminated.

Automated summary

COVID-19 has highlighted the critical issue of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), especially cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the urgent need for policy measures to protect cardiovascular health. Eliminating industrially-produced trans fatty acids (iTFA) could prevent millions of deaths by 2040, marking the first time an NCD risk factor has been eliminated globally.