An unhealthy substance, also known as trans fat, made
through the chemical process of hydrogenation of oils. Hydrogenation solidifies
liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor stability of oils and foods
that contain them. Trans fat is found in vegetable shortenings and in some margarines,
crackers, cookies, snack foods and other foods.
Trans fats are also found in abundance in "french fries." To make vegetable oils
suitable for deep frying, the oils are subjected to hydrogenation, which creates
trans fats. (See "The Trouble with Fries" by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker
magazine of March 5, 2001). Among the hazards of fast food, "fries" are prime in
purveying trans fats.
Trans fats wreak havoc with the body's ability to regulate cholesterol. In the
hierarchy of fats, the polyunsaturated fats which are found in vegetables are the
good kind; they lower your cholesterol. Saturated fats have been condemned as the
bad kind. But trans fats are far worse. They drive up the LDL ("bad") cholesterol.
which markedly increases the risk of coronary artery heart disease and stroke. According
to a recent study of some 80,000 women, for every 5% increase in the amount of saturated
fat a woman consumes, her risk of heart disease increases by 17%. But only a 2%
increase in trans fats will increase her risk of heart disease by 93%!
The US FDA in 1999 proposed that the Nutrition Facts labels on vegetable shortenings
and some cookies, crackers, margarines, and other foods may soon carry information
about trans fatty acids, or trans fats. Beyond requiring that some labels list the
amount of trans fats in the food, the FDA rule would also define the term "trans
fat free" and limits the use of certain nutrient or health claims related to fat
content, such as "lean" and "low saturated fat."
In the realm of dietary dangers, trans fats rank very high. It has been estimated
that trans fats are responsible for some 30,000 early deaths a year in the United
States. Worldwide the toll of premature deaths is in the millions.
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