From 2000 to 2009, the levels of trans fats found in the blood of caucasian Americans dropped 58%, a recent government study shows. That’s a pretty dramatic number, and proves that maybe the years of warnings about the dangers inherent in the artery-clogging fats is finally paying off.<\/p>\n
Trans fats are being squeezed out of Oreos, Cheetos, and everything in between by the big food companies. They are rushing to find oils to replace the partially hydrogenated ones that had been previously used, and which have been the primary source of the trans fat problem.<\/p>\n
Trans fats increase bad (LDL) cholesterol and decrease good (HDL) cholesterol, so the consumption of these fats can increase your risk of heart disease.<\/p>\n
Vegetable cooking oils-commonly used for frying food and in fast food restaurants-have historically been partially hydrogenated. That means they are created in a lab by adding hydrogen molecules to the vegetable oil, a process that alters the texture and taste, but primarily serves to prolong its shelf life.<\/p>\n
Oils in their natural state, whether vegetable- or nut-based, will eventually spoil and go rancid. While this may have seemed like a bad thing to cost-conscious consumers looking to keep what they purchased for as long as possible, the process of altering the natural state of the oil has ended up creating a much bigger problem than the one it was trying to solve.<\/p>\n
The government study data is based on blood samples from 229 white adults in 2000, and 292 in 2009. Other research is underway to examine the trans fats in the blood of people of other ethnic groups as well as children and adolescents.<\/p>\n
In recent years, many food companies have taken trans fats out of their products, and many big chain restaurants have switched to healthier oils. A government regulation requires food manufacturers to list the amount of trans fats on the nutrition facts panel of the food labels.<\/p>\n
Some communities and state health departments have taken steps to reduce trans fats in foods, and there has been increased education on the health risks. But there is always room for improvement. There are still trans fats in some restaurant foods, including fast foods, and processed foods, such as some brands of microwave popcorn and some packaged pies and pie crusts.<\/p>\n
Your best best is learning to read labels, or avoiding the products as much as possible. Vegetables, fruit and whole grains, in their natural states, are usually much less expensive in the end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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