Lower your risk of heart disease by reducing the amount of trans fats you eat. Trans fat was introduced to American consumers in the early 20th century and grew to be a favorite ingredient both in the kitchen and in commercial food production. Scientists have linked the use of trans fats and increased blood cholesterol levels. More than 102 million people in the U.S. have high cholesterol levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 35 million of those have cholesterol levels high enough to put them at risk for developing heart disease.
What Are Trans Fats?
Trans fats are created by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil to thicken and stabilize it. This process is called hydrogenation. Crisco was the first hydrogenated vegetable oil in the U.S., starting in 1911, according to Crisco.com. For many years, trans fats were thought to be a healthy alternative to saturated fats. Trans fats have a longer shelf life. Products made with trans fats have a less greasy texture than vegetable oil. Trans fatty acids can lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Trans fat has the same calorie content as other fats, but it also increases cholesterol levels. Some manufacturers and restaurants, including Crisco, no longer use trans fats.
What Is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance, necessary to the body to create cells and make certain types of hormones. About 75 percent of the cholesterol is made by your body, and the other 25 percent comes from the foods you eat, according to the American Heart Association. Cholesterol is made in the livers of animals, so plant-based foods do not naturally contain cholesterol.
Lowers HDL
Trans fats affect your cholesterol levels, including HDL, low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides. Trans fats lower HDL cholesterol. HDL is often called "good" cholesterol because it acts as a scavenger, searching the bloodstream for bad cholesterol and delivering it to the liver for removal.
Raises LDL
Trans fats raise LDL cholesterol. LDL is often described as "bad" cholesterol because it builds up in the blood. Cholesterol can accumulate as fatty deposits inside vessel walls. These fatty deposits are called plaques, and they can reduce the blood flow to your heart and cause the chest pain known as angina. If a plaque breaks free, the body may mistake the event for an injury and create a blood clot to patch a hole that is not there. This blood clot can block blood flow to the heart and cause a heart attack, or prevent blood from reaching the brain, resulting in a stroke.
Raises Triglycerides
Trans fats raise triglyceride levels. The body converts calories from food into cholesterol for immediate use; calories that are not used right away are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells for later use. Triglycerides can accumulate inside blood vessel walls and harden into plaque. High levels of triglycerides thicken the arteries, which can lead to heart attack, stroke, diabetes and heart disease.
Causes Inflammation
Trans fats seem to damage the cells that line arterial walls and cause inflammation. Inflammation is the body's response to injury and this inflammation is thought to lead to fatty blockages in heart vessels.
Dietary Guidelines
The American Heart Association suggests limiting intake of trans fatty acids to 1 percent of total calories. For example, if you take in 2,000 calories in a day, you should eat no more than 2g of trans fats per day.
Trans fats are in many commercially baked products, such as cookies, crackers and cakes. Fried foods, like doughnuts and french fries are often fried in trans fats. Shortening contains trans fats. Trans fat also goes by the name partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Nutrition labels may be misleading when it comes to trans fats. If the item contains less than 0.5g of trans fat per serving, the label can legally list it as 0g of trans fat. Small amounts may be found naturally in some beef and dairy products, but the trans fats in processed foods seems to be more harmful.
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