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We hear a lot about fat these days: good fat, bad fat, trans fats, and everything in between. But what do all those terms mean?
Like many other foods, fats are of major nutritional value for humans. Fats are an important source energy and serve as the building block for hormones and cell membranes, among other roles in the body.
It's easy to get confused when you start getting into the weeds of fats and oils. There's so much information out there that it can be difficult to know what you should and shouldn't eat. Here's all you need to know about fat, both healthy and bad, so you can make informed dietary decisions for yourself.
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What Are Hydrogenated Fats?
The majority of hydrogenated fats are created in an industrial process that involves adding hydrogen to vegetable oil, causing the oil to solidify at room temperature. Foods manufactured with this partially hydrogenated oil have a longer shelf life because it is affordable and less likely to deteriorate.
Because it doesn't need to be changed as frequently as other oils, several restaurants utilize partly hydrogenated vegetable oil in their deep fryers. Naturally occurring trans fats can be found in some meat and dairy products.
Side Effects of Hydrogenated Fats
1) Increases the risk of heart disease
Hydrogenated fats have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Researchers found that when people replaced other fats with trans fats, they experienced significant increases in LDL cholesterol without a corresponding rise in HDL cholesterol.
Meanwhile, most other fats tend to increase both LDL and HDL. Similarly, replacing other dietary fats with hydrogenated fats significantly increases your ratio of total to HDL (good) cholesterol. All these changes are important risk factors for heart diseases.
2) Affects Insulin Levels
According to a recent research involving over 80,000 women, those who consumed the most hydrogenated fats had a 40% increased risk of diabetes.
However, other studies have found no relationship between trans fat intake and diabetes risk. Researchers suspect this may be because of some animal studies that show large amounts of trans fats can harm insulin and glucose function.
3) Increases the risk of cancer
Hydorgenated fats are believed to damage an inner lining of your blood vessels. This can impair artery dilation and reduce good cholesterol in a 4-week study with rats that replace saturated fats with trans fats. Also, markers for endothelial dysfunction increased under a trans fat-heavy diet.
However, very few studies have examined the effect of trans fat on cancer risk, although research suggests that increased intake of trans fats before menopause may increase breast cancer risk after menopause.
How to Avoid Eating Hydrogenated Fats?
It can be difficult to stay away from trans fats entirely. Manufacturers in the United States can label their products "trans-fat-free" if they contain less than 0.5 grams of these fats per serving.
Clearly, a few "trans-fat-free" cookies can quickly accumulate to dangerous levels. It's critical to read labels carefully to avoid trans fats. Don't eat anything with partly hydrogenated substances in the ingredients list.
Reading labels, on the other hand, does not always go far enough. Trans fats are included in some processed goods, such as ordinary vegetable oils, although they are not identified on the label or in the ingredients list. As a result, the greatest thing you can do is cut back on processed foods in your diet.
What You Should Eat Instead
Foods without trans fats aren't always healthy. Hydrogenated fats could be replaced with other harmful substances. Saturated fat is abundant in several of these components, such as tropical oils including coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils.
A healthy diet includes 20% to 35% of total daily calories from fat. Saturated fat should be no more than 10% of your daily calories.
Olive, peanut, and canola oils include monounsaturated fat, which is a healthier alternative to saturated fat. Other foods high in healthy fats include nuts, salmon, and other foods containing unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids.
Bottom Line
The best diet is something we all need to figure out on our own. But if you want the "true" facts on hydrogenated fats, they're still bad for you—although that may be changing.
This compound is used to give many foods a longer shelf life and an appealing texture. But at what cost? Science suggests that artificial hydrogenated fats are preferable over other saturated fats, but until further research comes out, a healthy diet should continue to include whole foods rather than processed ones.
However, it is difficult to avoid trans fats altogether. Some foods are practically guaranteed to contain them, and some items found on grocery store shelves - like many kinds of cookies - have sneaky sources of these unhealthy fats. But, completing the diet with healthy alternatives from unprocessed foods is a great way of lowering your overall intake and protect your health.
