Q: What are trans fats and why are they so bad for us?
A: There’s been a lot of hype in the news about trans fats over the last few decades, especially as the federal government has made the labeling of trans fats mandatory on nutrition labels. New York City banned trans fats from their restaurants and food chains back in 2005, while big-name companies like Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and KFC have switched to healthier oils, reducing the amount of trans fats in a lot of their food items. By now, most consumers have been warned about the dangers of trans fats, but many still wonder why it is such a big deal. The real explanation must include a little history…
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature (think butter) while unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature (think vegetable oil). Trans fats, however, are unsaturated fats that have been chemically altered to be solid (saturated) at room temperature.
Back a few decades ago, there was a big push to reduce saturated fats from food items due to the new-found link between saturated fat and heart disease. To retain the consistency, taste, and shelf-life of baked goods and processed foods, food manufacturers sought out an alternative to saturated fats that would keep the public “healthier”. It was assumed that since unsaturated fats are considered the healthier fats to eat, transforming them into solid fats would be a fantastic solution. But in fact, the new product turned out to be the most dangerous type of fat yet, and unfortunately it took quite a few years for scientific studies to prove that trans fats were, in fact, even worse than saturated fats.
Trans fats are dangerous to consume because they have been altered into a form that is unnatural and unfamiliar to the body, thus it is hard for the body to break them down. Trans fats build up in arteries just like saturated fats do, contributing to high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.
Today, food manufacturers are aware of the issue and are required by law to put trans fats on their nutrition labels. However, consumers should still be wary of packaged foods – there could be trans fats present in a food item even when the nutrition label says “0 grams” (less than a gram, but still there nonetheless). You can check to make sure the food item does not contain trans fats by looking through the ingredient list. Any ingredient including the words “hydrogenated oil” or “partially hydrogenated oil” means there are trans fats present in the food item.
Once you start looking for it, you’ll be amazed (and appalled) by how many food items still contain some amount of trans fat. But as an educated consumer, you can have control over the amount of trans fats you eat – by always reading labels carefully and avoiding heavily processed foods. If you’d like to learn more about trans fats, check out the FDA’s website.
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