Say No to Trans-Fat

What are trans-fatty acids?

It is the common name for a type of unsaturated fat with trans-isomer fatty acid(s). Trans fats may be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated.

Unsaturated fat is a fat molecule containing one or more double bonds between the carbon atoms. Since the carbons are double-bonded to each other, there are fewer bonds available for hydrogen, so there are fewer hydrogen atoms, hence "unsaturated". Cis and trans are terms that refer to the arrangement of chains of carbon atoms across the double bond. In the cis arrangement, the chains are on the same side of the double bond, resulting in a kinked geometry. In the trans arrangement, the chains are on opposite sides of the double bond, and the chain is straight overall.

The process of hydrogenation is intended to add hydrogen atoms to cis-unsaturated fats, eliminating a double bond and making them more saturated. These saturated fats have a higher melting point, which makes them attractive for baking and extends their shelf-life. However, the process frequently has a side effect that turns some cis-isomers into trans-unsaturated fats instead of hydrogenating them completely.

Before the invention of trans fatty acids, we cooked food with lard, palm oil, or butter, etc., which are high in saturated fat. Researchers found that saturated fat (depending on type and amount) increases LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) which may increase the risk of heart disease.

Therefore, manufacturers started to use the "healthier" vegetable oils in their food production. Because most liquid vegetable oils are not stable when exposed to heat and can go rancid easily, manufacturers began to "hydrogenate" liquid oils (a chemical process in which hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid and more stable) to help them better withstand the food production process and provide a longer shelf life.

Unfortunately, a side effect of hydrogenation is that trans fatty acids are formed. For years, a handful of us in the alternative health community screamed about the dangers, but to no avail.

Food manufacturers love hydrogenated oils because hydrogenation makes those oils thicker, creamier, and more appetizing to the consumer. Unfortunately, hydrogenation also saturates the oils' fatty acids, changing them into trans-fatty acids. Trans-fatty acids are the number one killer in our diets, and a major contributor to:

Cancer
Heart Disease
Diabetes

Hydrogenated (and partially hydrogenated) oils are absolutely unnecessary and have no place in your diet or in any of the foods you eat. The number one dietary prescription is to totally eliminate all hydrogenated oils from your diet. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as it sounds. Food manufacturers have put them in almost every food they manufacture.

"Oh be quiet; trans fats are unsaturated and therefore safe," we were told -- until recently. Within the last five years or so, the scientific community has "discovered" the dangers of trans fatty acids despite the fact they're unsaturated and put them in the news. When partially hydrogenated vegetable oil was first used in foods many decades ago, it was considered safe and now that studies have demonstrated that partially hydrogenated oil is a major cause of heart disease, it should be phased out of the food supply as rapidly as possible and replaced with more-healthful oils.

Similar to saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids increase LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) thereby increasing the risk of heart disease -- according to the cholesterol theory of heart disease. Some studies have also shown that a diet high in trans fatty acids may be linked to a greater risk of Type 2 Diabetes. Fully hydrogenated oil does not contain trans fatty acids. Instead, it contains more saturated fat.

Some authorities, at least those that work for the shortening industry, are still insisting that in normal dietary amounts trans fatty acids are not much of a health problem.