South African seed oils are safe for human consumption

Objectives: A diet that is high in fat and low in carbohydrates is advocated in the recently published The Real Meal Revolution. A suggestion was made in this publication that seed oils are toxic. The authors stated that available seed oils on the South African market were high in trans-fatty acid (TFA), as well as being genetically modified, and thus should be avoided. We compared three oils, i.e. canola, sunflower and olive oil, against internationally accepted standards, to determine the quality of these oils using gaschromatographic analysis, to determine whether or not there was any foundation to the statement pertaining to the toxicity of South African seed oils. Reported parameters included the fatty acid profile, TFA content, peroxide level and conjugated diene (CD) content.Design: Samples were purchased from local retail stores. Two independent researchers de-identified the oils, and stored them in numbered containers under nitrogen until commencement of the analysis. Hence, a blind sample of oils was received.Outcome measures: Twelve (n = 12) olive oil, 15 (n = 15) canola oil and 7 (n = 7) sunflower oil samples were subjected to analysis. CD and peroxide levels were conducted spectrophotometrically, and fatty acid content determined by gas liquid chromatography.Results: The total TFA content of the three types of sampled oils was below 0.5%, and the peroxide (meq O2/kg) and CD levels (μmol/g) were within allowable limits, as described in the Codex Standard for Named Vegetable Oils, as well as previous publications.Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the South African seed oils included in this analysis contained a negligible amount of TFA, adhered to international recommendations with respect to fatty acid content, and were well within the safe range for oxidation products. Therefore, the statement that South African seed oils are toxic is inaccurate, unscientific and without merit.Keywords: South Africa, seed oils, canola, sunflower, olive, fatty acid profile, TFA content, peroxide, conjugated diene conten

The targeting of nutritionally at-risk children attending a primary health care facility in the Western Cape Province of South Africa

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the practices of primary health care (PHC) nurses in targeting nutritionally at-risk infants and children for intervention at a PHC facility in a peri-urban area of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. METHODOLOGY: Nutritional risk status of infants and children <6 years of age was based on criteria specified in standardised nutrition case management guidelines developed for PHC facilities in the province. Children were identified as being nutritionally at-risk if their weight was below the 3rd centile, their birth weight was less than 2500 g, and their growth curve showed flattening or dropping off for at least two consecutive monthly visits. The study assessed the practices of nurses in identifying children who were nutritionally at-risk and the entry of these children into the food supplementation programme (formerly the Protein-Energy Malnutrition Scheme) of the health facility. Structured interviews were conducted with nurses to determine their knowledge of the case management guidelines; interviews were also conducted with caregivers to determine their sociodemographic status. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-four children were enrolled in the study. The mean age of their caregivers was 29.5 (standard deviation 7.5) years and only 47 (38%) were married. Of the caregivers, 77% were unemployed, 46% had poor household food security and 40% were financially dependent on non-family members. Significantly more children were nutritionally at-risk if the caregiver was unemployed (54%) compared with employed (32%) (P=0.04) and when there was household food insecurity (63%) compared with household food security (37%) (P<0.004). Significantly more children were found not to be nutritionally at-risk if the caregiver was financially self-supporting or supported by their partners (61%) compared with those who were financially dependent on non-family members (35%) (P=0.003). The weight results of the nurses and the researcher differed significantly (P<0.001), which was largely due to the different scales used and weighing methods. The researcher's weight measurements were consistently higher than the nurses' (P<0.00). The researcher identified 67 (50%) infants and children as being nutritionally at-risk compared with 14 (10%) by the nurses. The nurses' poor detection and targeting of nutritionally at-risk children were largely a result of failure to plot weights on the weight-for-age chart (55%) and poor utilisation of the Road to Health Chart. CONCLUSIONS: Problems identified in the practices of PHC nurses must be addressed in targeting children at nutritional risk so that appropriate intervention and support can be provided. More attention must be given to socio-economic criteria in identifying children who are nutritionally at-risk to ensure their access to adequate social security networks