Transfat is simply a way of explaining the molecular structure of a fatty acid, which is a type of naturally occurring lipid important for living organisms. It is a structural component in cell membranes and also is a source of energy. However, the type of fat that you eat, especially when it comes to transfat, has important implications for your health.
Features
Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction that fats may undergo during food processing. It literally means to add hydrogen. Fatty acids are composed of chains of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen. The feature that differentiates one fatty acids from another is the double bonds in their structure. Saturated fats have no double bonds. They can pack tightly together and appear as solids at room temperature. Unsaturated fats have at least one double bond between carbon atoms. This double bond crowds out one hydrogen atom per carbon atom. Therefore, adding hydrogen to a fatty acid removes the double bonds and makes it more saturated.
Structure
In practice, hydrogenation usually stops short of reducing all of the double bonds in the fatty acids. This creates partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. This has the effect of straightening the fatty acid out; all of the bends that resulted from the double bonds are removed, and it begins to resemble the structure of saturated fat. However, it cannot truly be said that the fatty acid is saturated, because part of its structure has become an unsaturated trans isomer.
Transfat
An isomer is essentially a different way to arrange the orientation of two molecules with the same chemical formula. Normally on a double bond, the hydrogen atoms are adjacent to each other. They are on the same side of the carbon atoms. But on a trans isomer, the hydrogen atoms are on opposite sides, facing away from each other. Both of these molecules use the same formula but have different arrangements, similar to the way in which two houses may use the exact same parts but have different blueprints.
Significance
Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is essentially oil that contains a trans isomer within its structure. Therefore, partially hydrogenated oil cannot exist without transfat. This is generally not a type of fat that is found in nature, however, so it requires heavy processing to achieve.
Warning
You should avoid any foods that contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. According to the American Heart Association, transfats are easily converted into the dangerous type of cholesterol in the body. High levels of bad cholesterol in the blood can cause the plaque deposits in the arterial walls, which is a cause of heart disease. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is generally found in two different types of food: commercial baked goods such as cookies and crackers, and fried foods such as French fries and donuts.
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