Health Pages

Trans Fats


Trans Fats: "AVOID"

Trans fatty acids are fats formed when vegetable oils are hydrogenated (oils start out liquid but are turned into solids through the manufacturing process). So, hydrogenation is the process that keeps liquid oil solid at room temperature and prevent them from becoming rancid. It also makes healthy vegetable oils more like not-so-healthy saturated fats. You do not always know when you are eating hydrogenated fats because they are hidden in the products and not always listed on labels. Here's a tip: If a food can last in your pantry for weeks without going stale, trans fat might be keeping it fresh.

Trans fatty acids come from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils which are found in margarine's, shortenings, cakes, pies and cookies (especially with frosting), candies (especially with creamy fillings), crackers, snack foods, microwave popcorn (buttered and flavored varieties), frozen pizzas, frozen biscuits, pastries, muffins, doughnuts (especially frosted or cream-filled), breaded and fried chicken and fish, fried fast foods.

Food makers use trans fats to enhance taste and texture and make foods last longer. On food label ingredient lists, this manufactured substance is typically listed as "partially or fully hydrogenated oil". Also avoid products with emulsifiers like mono- and diglycerides (they are made by partially hydrolyzing vegetable fats, such as soybean oil, and palm oil). Trans fats can be also hidding in some artificial colors and flavors and in some other products with refined oils (like soybean, cottonseed, canola, and corn oil).

Trans fats also occur naturally in smaller quantities in beef and milk products (bacteria in cattle produce trans fat that gets into meat and milk).Trans fat also occurs naturally in vegetable oils and forms when vegetable oils are purified.

Trans fatty acids, also known as trans fats are the worst type of dietary fats. They raise the total cholesterol and LDL "bad" cholesterol level of the blood more than any other food in the diet. Some researches show that trans fatty acids also lower the level of beneficial HDL or "good" cholesterol which in turn increases the risk for heart disease and other diseases.

Trans fats have a negative impact on the body and are widely considered to be unhealthy because they are associated (in an intake-dependent way) with increased risk of such as coronary artery disease, a leading cause of death in Western nations, and other diseases such as stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and many other diseases.

The amount of trans-fatty acids in the diet can be reduced by avoiding and limit foods that contain hydrogenated plant oils. Your recommended daily intake: 0 grams.


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Our pages are created to provide medically accurate information that is intended to complement, not replace or substitute in any way the services of your physician. Any application of the recommendations set forth in the following pages is at the reader's discretion and sole risk. Before undergoing medical treatment, you should consult with your doctor, who can best assess your individual needs, symptoms and treatment.



all fats and cooking oils
have 9 calories per gram
oils and fats contain varying percentage of
monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fats

Saturated Fats: "LIMIT"

Saturated fats are mostly of animal origin and are solid at room temperature. The streaking in red meat (marbling) and fat along the edges of meat are examples of saturated fats. The important exceptions are tropical plant oils (coconut, palm, and palm kernel). There is not enough evidence to conclude that saturated fats that exist in nature (non-hydrogenated) increase the cholesterol levels or the risk of heart disease, but replacing the saturated fat with healthy fats (like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) is usually recommended for heart healthy diet.