New Labels Are Now in Place

By Peggy Kraus, R.C.E.P.
Exclusive to THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Trans fats, unhealthy man-made fats, are lurking in almost every box and package in your cupboard. These fats have no redeeming qualities and account for 30,000 to 100,000 deaths every year. Among their negatives: trans fats increase your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), one of the leading causes of death in the United States. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHBLI) states more than 12.5 million American men and women have CVD, and more than 500,000 die of it each year.

Some trans fats occur naturally and do not pose the same health risks as their man-made relatives engineered in the laboratory. Manufactured trans fats originate as liquid vegetable oils such as soybean and cottonseed oils, then are bombarded with hydrogen atoms in a process known as partial hydrogenation. The end result: a stiffer, more stable fat.

In the early 1900s these engineered fats were developed as a healthier alternative to saturated and animal fats. The biggest transition to trans fats was the switch from butter to margarine, but now we know margarines are actually no more healthful than butter. In fact, recent research reveals trans fats lower HDL, the “good” cholesterol, and raise total cholesterol almost twice as much as saturated fats do.

The University of Maryland Medical Center reports humans have no need for these man-made fats. Instead, food manufacturers started putting them in products because they allow for a longer shelf life. Crackers, for example, can stay crispy and on the shelf for years in part because of the hydrogenated fats in them—and there is really no way of knowing how long that box (or any other) has been on the shelf.