By now, we've probably all heard the news that trans fats are bad for us, but you might not know exactly what makes a fat a trans fat. Put simply, trans fats are natural fats and oils that have been "transformed" through a chemical process, in order to make them more stable (thus prolonging shelf life) and more solid. Typical examples are hard margarine and old-fashioned vegetable shortening. In nature, trans fats are found only in very miniscule amounts.
The problem with trans fats is that they are even worse for our heart health than the saturated fats found in meat and dairy products, and in palm and coconut oils. A Harvard-based study published way back in 1994 estimated that at that time, somewhere between 30,000 and 100,000 deaths from heart disease were directly linked to trans fats.
How do you know when you meet a trans fat? The easiest way to sort this out is to look on the label. If the ingredient list includes "partially hydrogenated" oils, you have come face to face with the enemy. Thanks to awareness campaigns and labeling requirements, we are eating less trans fats than we were a few years ago. But since the FDA allows a product to be labeled "trans fat free" as long as the trans fat content per serving is less than half a gram, there are many products containing this bad fat that do not list it in the nutrition information panel. Studies around the world have found that when your diet includes six grams or more of trans fats every day, your risk of a heart attack jumps by about 40%.
The bottom line is that there is no really safe amount of trans fats. And since trans fats are mainly found in snack food, fast food, and other junk foods that are really worthless from a nutritional standpoint, there is no good reason that you should welcome trans fats into your body. It really isn't nice to fool Mother Nature.
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