How to keep trans fats under control.

February 11, 2006

How to keep trans fats under control

Foods now list fat amounts per serving, but it's unclear how much is safe

By Karen Collins, R.D.

MSNBC

Updated: 10:00 a.m. ET Feb. 10, 2006

Excerpts:

Food labels now list the amount of trans fat in foods. Consumers, however,

need to develop some strategies to use this new information effectively.

The amount of trans fat per serving is listed on food labels underneath total

fat, along with other types of fat, like saturated, polyunsaturated or

monounsaturated. Although trans fat occurs naturally in some animal fat, most

trans fats in the American diet come from partially hydrogenated oils. These are

vegetable oils that have hydrogen forced into their chemical structure to give

them a longer shelf life before spoiling. Because hydrogenated oils harden, they

can be used in margarine or shortening. Almost a third of the fat in these

products is trans fat.

Many consumers are aware that trans fat is unhealthy, but researchers don’t

yet agree on what amount is safe.

There is no recommended limit or Daily Value (DV) for trans fat. For now, the

message from nutrition experts is to get as little as you can while eating a

balanced diet. You shouldn’t try to eat zero trans fat, because you would have

to avoid foods that provide healthful nutrients and only trace amounts of trans

fat.

In some ways, trans fat has the same effect as saturated fat. Trans fat raises

blood levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol just like saturated fat. Although some

researchers suggest that trans fat reduces good (“HDL”) cholesterol, supporting

evidence is inconsistent. Both saturated fat and trans fat may promote cancer

development, too. But there is insufficient evidence to draw that conclusion

yet.

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