"A study by researchers at the University of North Carolina found that women whose diets were high in trans fats had a 66% higher risk of ischemic stroke (blood clots in vessels supplying blood to the brain) than those whose diets were the lowest in trans fats." So, what are Trans Fats and how can you help your diet?
What are Trans Fats?
Trans fats (or trans fatty acids) are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. Another name for trans fats is “partially hydrogenated oils." Look for them on the ingredient list on food packages.
Companies like using trans fats in their foods because they’re easy to use, inexpensive to produce and last a long time. Trans fats give foods a desirable taste and texture. Many restaurants and fast-food outlets use trans fats to deep-fry foods because oils with trans fats can be used many times in commercial fryers. The subtle difference between Trans and Cis is the positioning of the atoms in the chain. Although the atoms are the same the spatial arrangement is different and this imparts very different physical characteristics.
Trans fats raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and lower your good (HDL) cholesterol levels. Eatingtrans fats increases your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. It’s also associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Where are Trans Fats found?
Trans fats can be found in many foods – but especially in fried foods like French fries/chips, doughnuts, and baked goods including pastries, pie crusts, biscuits, pizza dough, cookies, crackers, and stick margarines and shortenings. You can determine the amount of trans fats in a particular packaged food by looking at the Ingredients/Nutrition panel. Look for ingredients referred to as “partially hydrogenated oils.”
References:
American Heart Association
Nutrition Dr.
HelpingYouCare
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