Trans fats seem to be getting alot of attention in the media lately.  Magazines and newspapers seem full of information concerning trans fats. Much of the information seems to be negative with warnings to avoid trans fats. What are trans fats and what are their impact on nutrition?

Trans fats are unsaturated fats with trans-isomer fatty acids.  However, unlike some types of unsaturated fats which have been shown to have health benefits trans fats are a nonessential fat and have been shown to have negative health effects. Trans fats are  found to naturally occur in small amounts however the majority of trans fats consumed today are created with an artificial process.  This process, termed hydrogenation, adds hydrogen to the fat molecules, altering the chemical signature.  The process was developed over a century ago. After its development it was quickly put to use as a cheap source of unsaturated fat.  In the US the company Proctor and Gamble acquired the right and began marketing the first hydrogenated shortening product, Crisco. Through a clever marketing campaign which promoted baking recipes which called for Crisco, the product was soon very popular.

The product and trans fats in general went on to widespread use as both a butter substitute and as a preservative.  For many years trans fats were touted as a healthy alternative to butter which contains saturated fats.  This notion was widely accepted as the use of trans fats spread to other areas of food production. It became popular as a preservative and was used by the fast food industry to prolong the shelf life of many products.

The use of trans fats was widespread and many people believed that they were harmless with no ill effect on health.  It was in the latter part of the 20th century that trans fats were suspected as the culprit in rising cardiovascular disease rates.  As researchers and nutritionists investigated the link they found that indeed trans fats appears to be a cause of cardiovascular disease. It was soon discovered that while saturated fats can lower cholesterol levels int he bloodstream and if consumed in moderation have beneficial effects on health trans fats have no such benefit.  Trans fats appear to only raise the level of cholesterol in the blood promoting heart disease.

Ironically trans fats, a product promoted as a healthy alternative to butter and other saturated fats has turned out to in fact be worse for health. Be careful to avoid trans fats whenever possible and try to limit yourself to moderate amounts of saturated fats.