What do you know about trans fats

[Guest guest]

While most people in the United States now know that they should avoid trans

fats, only 20 percent actually know which foods are likely to contain the

dangerous ingredients, according to a survey conducted by researchers from the

University of Colorado-Denver and published in the Journal of the American

Dietetic Association.

Trans fats, also known as hydrogenated oils, are artificially produced in the

laboratory by adding extra hydrogen atoms to unsaturated vegetable oils. They

have long been a favorite of the food industry for their increased shelf life

over conventional oils. Unlike natural fats, however, trans fats have no

nutritional value and drastically increase the risk of cardiovascular disease

and death. Like saturated fats, they increase the body's levels of LDL ( " bad " )

cholesterol, but unlike those fats they also lower its levels of HDL ( " good " )

cholesterol.

Higher consumption of trans fatty acids can increase a person's risk of

precancerous colorectal tumors by 86 percent, researchers have found.

" These results suggest that consumption of high amounts of trans-fatty acid may

increase the risk of colorectal neoplasia [abnormal cell growth], and they

provide additional support to recommendations to limit trans-fatty acid

consumption. "

Studies have also linked the fats to reduced fertility in women, suggesting that

eating even four grams of the fats per day (an amount easily consumed in a

single serving of French fries) could double the risk of infertility due to

ovulation failure.

Leading food and health expert Walter Willett of Harvard Medical School has

called trans fats the " worst single specific problem " facing health in the

United States today, as well as " the biggest food processing disaster in U.S.

history. " (American Journal of Epidemiology.)

http://www.naturalnews.com/026248.html

FYI,

Lottie