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January 12, 2006
Prairie Fare: Now Appearing on Most Nutrition Facts Labels: Trans Fats
I recall a college paper I wrote during the 1980s about a “hot nutrition topic.” As an undergraduate nutrition major, I had read an interesting article about trans fat and its possible health consequences. I titled my paper “Butter vs. Margarine: Does Trans Fat Affect Health?” or something like that. Researchers weren’t exactly sure of the health effects of trans fat then. I don’t think my paper was very long, but fortunately, my professor liked it. My ears perked up during the years whenever trans fat hit the news. Fast forward to January 2006. Trans fat content (in grams) is required on Nutrition Facts labels unless the fat content is very low. Obviously, it takes many years of research before new recommendations are made and label changes are enacted. Trans fats form during the process of hydrogenation, which is when liquid oils are converted to solid shortening or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. “Trans” (meaning “across” in Latin) refers to the structure of the chemical bonds in fats. Hydrogenation makes fats less likely to become rancid, therefore increasing the shelf life. Hydrogenated shortenings also improve the texture and other properties of foods. Trans fat is found in many foods, such as some margarines and solid shortenings, along with foods made with these ingredients. These include cookies, crackers, snack foods, baked goods and other foods. Volumes of research have shown that consuming too much trans and saturated fat may pose health risks. Trans fat may be worse than saturated fat. Consuming too much trans and saturated fats raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which isn’t good news for your heart. Trans fats appear to have a double whammy. Trans fats also lower HDL (“good”) blood cholesterol. Besides heart disease, trans fats may play a role in the development of eye diseases, such as macular degeneration and gallstones and possibly Alzheimer’s. According to estimates by the Food and Drug Administration, Americans eat about 5.8 grams of trans fat per day. We eat about five times as much saturated fat. Trying to eliminate trans fat from our diet is not advised; plus it would be nearly impossible to do. Some trans fat is found naturally in some meat and dairy foods. The trans fats found naturally in certain foods, however, do not seem to have the same negative health consequences. The newly revised Nutrition Facts labels will help consumers learn more about the trans fat content of their food choices. Be advised, though, that there’s a bit of a loophole for food manufacturers. Foods that contain less than 0.5 gram of trans fat per serving are allowed to label the product as “trans-free.” Many food products have been reformulated to fall right below 0.5 gram. Look for “partially hydrogenated” on the ingredient label, which means there’s likely a little trans fat present. Here are some tips from the FDA to help you reduce the amount of saturated and trans fats in your diet:
Here’s a zesty salad dressing recipe that contains heart-healthy mono and/or polyunsaturated fats.
Source:
Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu |
Market Advisor: |
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North Dakota State University |
