Trans Fats and Diabetes: 8 Desi Favourites That Failed the Lab Test

14 November is World Diabetes Day. Pakistan isn’t just taking part; we’re topping the charts. It’s time to talk about industrial trans fats (iTFAs) and diabetes.

Nearly 1 in 3 adults here lives with diabetes. That’s about 36 million people and one of the highest rates in the world.

What we eat is a big part of that story. Back in 2024, we listed 12 foods hiding trans fats. Now Heartfile’s lab tests are in, with real numbers on foods high in trans fats from across Pakistan.

The WHO says iTFAs should be no more than 2% of the fat in any food. Some of your favourites didn’t just cross that line. They sprinted past it.

The hit list: 8 foods high in trans fats

WHO limit: 2%. Here’s how your snacks scored.

1. Baqar khani

One sample hit 18.4%. That’s 9x the limit. Every baqar khani tested, from Sindh to Islamabad, failed.

2. Pizza

A Lahore slice clocked 18.6%. All 8 pizzas tested were over the limit. Extra cheese? Try extra regret.

3. Biscuits and nankhatai

Mixed biscuits: 15.3%. Nankhatai: 14.6%. The banaspati sold for making biscuits? 27.8%. That’s 14x the limit, the worst result in the whole study.

4. Zarda

The shaadi favourite came in at 12.3%. Sweet rice, sour numbers.

5. Rusk

Your chai’s best friend hit 10.6%. Dunk responsibly.

6. Loose bakery cake

Plain cake sold loose: 10.2%. No wrapper, no label, no clue what’s inside.

7. Cream rolls and patties

Cream roll: 7.5%. Patties: 5.8%. The margarine used for puff pastry? 12.8%.

8. Banaspati ghee and bakery shortening

The source of it all. 13 of 15 Banaspati samples tested in 2025-26 were over the limit. Bakery shortening? All 14 samples failed, every single one at least 6x over.

Plot twist: samosas, pakoras, and fries mostly came in under 2%. The frying oil tested clean. Still not healthy food, but not the villain here. (Important to note: these items were fried in fresh oil. This does not account for refrying in the same oil, which has increased amounts of iTFAs as the oil keeps getting reused.)

Industrial trans fats and diabetes: what’s the link?

Meet PHOs. Partially hydrogenated oils. Factories pump liquid oil with partial hydrogen until it turns solid and has a grainy texture. Cheap, crispy, lasts forever. The side effect? Industrial trans fats. And 98% of Pakistan’s iTFAs are made right here at home.

It wrecks your heart. iTFAs raise bad cholesterol and cut the good kind. WHO says diets high in them push heart disease risk up 21% and death risk up 28%.

Diabetes makes that worse. Having diabetes nearly doubles your risk of heart disease and stroke. iTFAs hit the same target. 36 million Pakistanis are living with that double whammy.

It may mess with insulin too. Lab and short-term studies link iTFAs to inflammation and poorer insulin response. The science on trans fats and diabetes is still being worked out.

And look at the plate. Maida, sugar, fat. The exact combo that piles on weight, the biggest driver of type 2 diabetes.

Ban PHOs: fix the oil, fix the food

You can’t spot industrial trans fats in a loose baqar khani. No label. No warning. Eating smarter only gets you so far.

Pakistan already has a 2% regulation. But making and using PHOs is still legal, and the lab results above show how that’s going.

The real fix: ban PHOs. No PHOs, no industrial trans fats. It’s one of the two policies WHO calls best practice.

This World Diabetes Day, sugar isn’t the only ingredient you need to be mindful of.