Partially Hydrogenated Fats and Trans-Fats

by Shereen Jegtvig

When you look on the ingredients lists of your packaged foods, you may see ‘partially hydrogenated oil’ lurking there.  Hydrogenation involves forcing hydrogen molecules into the polyunsaturated fat molecules of liquid oil.  The addition of the hydrogen molecules changes the chemical structure of the fats and turns the liquid oil into a more solid shape (think about stick margarine).  These fats are called trans-fats.

That’s a bad thing because partially trans-fats are worse for you than saturated fats.  Trans fats raise  LDL cholesterol (the bad kind), which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.  Eating too many of these artificially created trans-fats clogs your arteries and increases inflammation.
It’s so bad, that food manufacturers are required by the United States Food and Drug Administration to indicate how many grams of trans-fat are contained in each serving of their products.  And New York City has banned the use of trans-fats in local restaurants.

So if trans-fats are so bad, why did we create them in the first place?  Mostly for convenience and, ironically, for use as a healthier replacement for saturated fats.  Back in the 1970s, the idea of partially hydrogenating healthy vegetable oils to replace butter seemed like a no-brainer (vegetable oils are high in polyunsaturated fats that can help to keep your cholesterol in check).  Turning liquid fat into semi-solid fats meant you could slather your bread with ‘heart-healthy’ margarine rather than butter.  Unfortunately, it turns out those trans-fat filled margarines are actually worse for your heart than saturated fat.

Let me point out that not all trans-fats are bad for you.  There are some trans-fat that occur naturally, mostly in dairy and animal products, that don’t appear to have the same bad effect on your body.  It’s really the artificially created trans-fats you need to worry about.

Since trans-fats became a requirement on food labels, more food manufacturers have begun working to reduce the trans-fats in their food products, or at least make it look like they are.  You may need to check both the ingredients list and the Nutrients Facts label because any food that has less than 0.5 gram trans-fat per serving is allowed to make the claim zero trans-fats on the label.  If a product claims to be trans-fat fee and you still see partially hydrogenated oil on the ingredients list, you’re getting a little bit of trans-fat in every serving (which can add up when you eat multiple servings).

While the number of products with trans-fats has been decreasing, trans-fats can still be found in shortening, some hard stick margarine, cookies, crackers, and snack foods that are made with partially hydrogenated oil.  You need to look at the labels.  For example, if you search for margarine on our FoodEssentials tool, you’ll get a list of products.  Click on any product to see what’s on the Nutrients Facts label and the ingredients list.  Here’s one: Fleischmann’s Original Margarine

Each serving has two grams trans-fat and keep in mind one serving is only one tablespoon.  If you slather your toast with this stuff, you’re not doing your heart any favors.  Look for brands that are truly trans-fat free and made without partial hydrogenation.

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