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The Trouble with Trans Fats

Monday, November 11th, 2013

You are probably aware that trans fats are bad for you. Research confirms this and even shows that in postmenopausal women, higher intake of trans fat is linked to a higher risk of ischemic stroke. In the study, no other types of fats showed the same relationship to ischemic stroke incidence. Interestingly, research also shows that taking aspirin regularly attenuates the risk of stroke even when trans fat intake is high, so you may want to ask your doctor about the wisdom of beginning an aspirin regimen.

The study involved over 87,000 healthy postmenopausal women between 50 and 79 years old and found that, independent of all other factors, including many lifestyle choices, higher intake of trans fats is directly related to higher risk of ischemic stroke. In addition, trans fats have been known to increase a person’s risk of heart disease, high “bad” cholesterol, and diabetes.

If only it were as simple as avoiding trans fats.

Unfortunately, many well-meaning people who read labels diligently and believe they are successfully avoiding trans fats may be in for a surprise. Food labels, it turns out, are disturbingly misleading.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows food manufacturers to round trans fat amounts down on labels in increments of .5 grams. This means that if a food contains less than .5 grams of trans fats per serving, the label can legally say that it contains none. When you consider that you may consume multiple foods with these misleading labels, and that the amount of each food you eat will often exceed the recommended serving size, you could be consuming a considerable amount of dangerous trans fat – but not have any way to know it.

Because the recommended safe maximum amount of trans fat per day is 1.11 grams, it’s easy to see how you could quickly consume more than this while believing that you are consuming none.

Activists are working to convince the FDA to change its rules on food labels, making it easier for consumers to determine what they are eating and control their intake of trans fats as well as other undesirable ingredients. In the meantime, however, you can make smarter choices by avoiding foods that often contain trans fats, such as commercial baked goods, fried foods, and shortenings.

Also, try this trick for reading food labels: look for the word “hydrogenated” in the ingredient list. The process of hydrogenation (adding hydrogen to vegetable oil in order to keep it from spoiling) creates trans fats. That means that even if the label says the food contains no trans fats, you can be sure that isn’t true if “hydrogenated oil” is one of the ingredients.

You can also avoid these harmful fats by sticking to a diet that contains mostly whole, fresh foods with an emphasis on lean protein and fresh fruits and vegetables, and by avoiding, for the most part, processed, fatty, chemical-laden foods.

– Yvonne S. Thornton, M. D., M. P. H.