The Drawbacks and Implications of Trans Fats
How Partially Hydrogenated Oils Harm Us and What Flaws They Reveal
Apr 27, 2009
Although trans fats are known to be unhealthy, precisely how they harm the body is not a well-covered fact. This article explains the basic harm of trans fats as well as examines the implications of trans fats in the human diet.
How Do Trans Fats Raise Cholesterol?
The drawbacks of trans fats arise when they interact with cholesterol. An April 18, 2008 article from the Harvard School of Public Health explains that a unique replacement effect of trans-fats is especially harmful in the context of cholesterol. Historically, fats and largely saturated fats have had a tendency to increase all types of cholesterol. However, as the Mayo Clinic points out, the defining characteristic of trans-fats is that not only do they raise Low Density Lipoproteins, or bad cholesterol, but by tricking the body into thinking that it is using healthy unsaturated fats when it is not, they also lower High Density Lipoproteins, or good cholesterol. This perfect storm significantly increases one’s risk of heart attack or stroke.
What Can be Learned From Trans Fats in Our Diet?
Attempts to avoid one unhealthy food may result in a drastic dietary shift, but this shift might not necessarily be a good one. The explosion of trans-fat consumption in the 1980s and 1990s was only made possible by a large-scale aversion to saturated fats, which, while unhealthy, are no match against trans-fats when it comes to danger.
Where Will the World Go From Here?
As Americans become increasingly informed about trans-fats, they certainly will avoid them in the same way they avoided saturated fats, but it is unknown whether or not an all-out aversion to trans fats will provide for a genuinely healthy diet, or merely follow the pattern of dietary fads by replacing one harmful substance with another. For instance, a study published in Nutrition and Metabolism in January of 2007 suggests that in New York, Boston, and Chicago, all cities where trans fats have been banned, restaurants are using trans-fat alternatives that have the potential to raise bad cholesterol even more than trans fats do – in addition to increasing a diner’s risk of diabetes.
What Can Trans Fats Show People About the FDA?
Trans-fats point out flaws in current nutritional labeling policy. Peggy Woodward, an RD working for Taste of Home writes on the Taste of Home website that under current FDA food labeling laws, a product can claim to have zero grams of trans-fat, just so long as it has less than half a gram of trans-fat per serving. As a result, serving sizes for products like crackers and cookies have changed so that vendors can label their product as containing zero grams of trans-fat.
Why Does FDA Law Ignore Trans Fats in Special Circumstances?
Woodward explains that the policy originated because for most nutritional items, less than half a gram is insignificant. However, because trans-fats function as toxins, there is no safe serving size, and current laws do not have a means to address this disconcerting fact. Fortunately, there is a way that a person can tell whether a product actually has trans-fat: by reading the ingredients list and looking for the phrase “partially hydrogenated,” a telltale sign of the hydrogenation process that makes trans fats.
Trans fats are certainly not the healthiest for the human body. However, they are cheap, an enticing option for companies and people looking to cut food costs. Although trans fats are chemically similar to both saturated an unsaturated fats, their differences are significant enough to render them a new class of fat - one that is likely to remain in America's diet for some time. A little knowledge can go a long way towards helping consumers to avoid the challenges presented by this little chemical.
