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Where
are Trans Fats Used?
Trans fats are found in cookies,
crackers,
margarines, fried foods and
snack foods
such as cakes and
doughnuts.
You have probably heard the words
trans
fat in the media a lot lately.
Many food
companies are now removing
trans fat
from their products. But what
exactly is
trans fat? How does it affect
your body?
Trans fat comes from a process called
hydrogenation. This is a process that
adds hydrogen to the vegetable oil in
your foods. Trans fat increases the
shelf life of food and was once believed
to be healthy, because trans fat came
primarily from plant oils. But new studies
have shown that the opposite is true.
Trans fats have a negative effect on
your cholesterol
levels. |
ARTICLES
►
Trans Fats
Explained
►
Trans Fats -
Labeling
►
Trans Fats - How
are they Used
?
►
Trans Fats - Oil
►Trans Fats
and Your
Health
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Saturated fats and
total cholesterol has been required by the FDA to be
listed on food labels since 1993. But the amount of
trans fats were never required to be listed. Now for the
good news, as of January 2006, all food manufacturer's
are now required to list the amount of trans fats in
their foods.
But why should you be concerned with trans fats? The
problem with trans fats is that they have been shown to
have an unhealthy effect on your cholesterol levels.
Trans fats will raise your LDL, which is your low
density lipoprotein and lower your HDL, which is the
high density lipoprotein.
A high LDL is what puts you at
risk for heart disease by increasing the amount of
plaque that builds up in your arteries. This
accumulation of plaque will decrease the blood flow
through the arteries. This plaque can also rupture
causing a blood clot to form and blocking a major
artery. If blood flow to the heart is interrupted, a
heart attack can occur. If blood flow to the brain is
stopped, a stroke will occur.
Trans fats will lower your HDL levels. The function of
the HDL is to take the excess cholesterol in your body
and transport it back to liver to be removed from the
body. When the HDL level is lower, the excess
cholesterol is not being removed as it should and you
are at a higher risk for heat disease and stroke.
As you can see, it is important to decrease
your consumption of trans fat. Read the labels on all
foods that you buy. Note the amount of trans fat and
cholesterol in these foods and do a little comparison
shopping. Try to find foods that are lower in
cholesterol and do not contain trans fat.
Trans fats are being removed from a lot of the foods
that we buy today. Restaurants are also trying to reduce
the amount of trans fats that they use. Keep this in
mind when looking for a place to dine out. Ask the
manager if the food is trans fat free. Choose your food
carefully and you will be much healthier because of it.
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