Heart disease is the leading cause of death in almost every racial and ethnic group in the U.S. today, making it one of the greatest public health challenges, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Poor diet is one of the main risk factors for the development of heart disease. The good news is that you can reduce your risk of heart disease by limiting the trans fats in your diet.
Sources
Trans fats are created when manufacturers add hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils that are then used as spreads, ingredients in commercial baked goods or fats for frying french fries, fish, chicken and other fast foods. If you regularly eat french fries, doughnuts or other fried foods, you're getting much more than your daily allotment of trans fats.
Misconceptions
In general, saturated fats are bad for your heart and unsaturated fats tend to be more heart-healthy. Trans fats are an exception to the rule. Although they're classified as unsaturated fats, they can raise both total and low-density lipoprotein, or bad, cholesterol levels. Trans fats also lower the levels of high-density lipoprotein, or "good" cholesterol.
Prevention/Solution
When LDL and total cholesterol levels rise, your body begins to build hard plaques on the inside of the arteries that bring oxygen-rich blood from your lungs to your heart. The narrow arteries restrict the flow of vital nutrients and eventually lead to coronary artery disease. MayoClinic.com notes, "Of the possible changes, limiting how much saturated and trans fats you eat is the most important step you can take to reduce your blood cholesterol and lower your risk of coronary artery disease."
Expert Insight
In 2004, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute brought together a group of health care professionals and scientists to review evidence and establish recommendations for the identification, treatment and management of high blood cholesterol. This National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults created the therapeutic lifestyle changes, or TLC, diet with specific recommendations about trans fats in the diet.
Recommendations
The NCEP panel lists dietary fat recommendations as a percentage of your daily calories. Trans fats should be 1 percent or less, saturated fats less than 7 percent and total fats between 25 and 35 percent. The remainder of your dietary fats should consist of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
Tips
In general, the harder the fat, the higher the trans fat content, says NHLBI. When choosing margarine and shortening, look for softer products that come in tubs rather than hard sticks. Read labels carefully to avoid products listing hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and look for labels that say "trans fat free."
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Heart Disease Fact Sheet
- American Heart Association: Knowing Your Fats
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) Executive Summary
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: TLC Diet: Daily Food Guide Food Groups: Fats and Oils
- MayoClinic.com: Heart-Healthy Diet: 8 Steps to Prevent Heart Disease
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