Six Pack Abs

Trans fats

The missing link between saturated and unsaturated fats is trans fats. A trans fat is an unsaturated fat which is heated, causing the fluids to evaporate and the fat to solidify. A hydrogen molecule is then added to the fat. This hydrogenation process alters the chemical structure of the fat. What was originally an unsaturated fat has now become a saturated fat. These fats are man-made and do not exist in nature. What’s their advantage? Take that cookie. Vegetable fats are cheaper and are used in place of butter. They are liquid, however, and don’t have the same semi-solid structure as butter has naturally. By hydrogenating vegetable fats they can be used as a direct replacement for butter. They also keep well. So what if butter is a natural saturated fat and trans fats are unnatural saturated fats? The consumer won’t even know the difference, right?

Right? As it so happens, consumers are waking up to the dangers of trans fats. New York City was the first to completely ban trans fats and other cities will soon follow. Denmark is the most progressive European country by imposing a trans fat limit of 2%. Together with sugars, trans fats are the main cause of the dramatic increase of diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems, cardiovascular disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, candidiasis, allergies, ADHD, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc. we have seen after the second World War. Trans fats are alien to the body and are dangerous free radicals capable of causing cellular (DNA) damage. As with sugar and artificial sweeteners the damage is cumulative: the longer you consume these fats, the greater the damage.

How do you recognize trans fatty acids when shopping for food items? Read the labels. Look for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils or fats. You’ll be amazed to see how many products contain trans fats nowadays.