Why Trans Fats should be banished from the Earth

By Heidi Bell Gease, Journal staff | Saturday, January 20, 2007

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Like sprinkles on a cupcake, stories about the evils of trans fats have been scattered through the national news for weeks now.

New York City has banned trans fats from restaurants. Starbucks and Culvers have announced plans to stop serving food containing trans fats. Most recently, doughnut makers from Dunkin’ Doughnuts to Krispy Kreme say they’re working on a zero trans-fat doughnut (see story below).

It’s not just us. According to TransFreeAmerica, a campaign to “eliminate partially hydrogenated vegetable oil from America’s food supply,” Denmark limits trans fat to 2 percent of the fat content of foods, “which is tantamount to a ban on partially hydrogenated oils.”

So what, exactly, are the evils of trans fats? And why are they creating such a stir?

According to the American Heart Association, trans fats — also called trans fatty acids — are formed when liquid vegetable oils go through a chemical process called hydrogenation, in which hydrogen is added to make the oils more solid.

Hydrogenated vegetable fats provide a longer shelf-life and give food a desirable taste, shape and texture. They’re frequently found in shortening, margarine, cookies, crackers, fried foods and other processed foods.

Other fats include saturated fats (from animal sources, such as butter and lard, and some plants, such as palm oil and coconut oil); monounsaturated fats (such as canola, olive and peanut oils and avocados); and polyunsaturated fats (mainly from plant sources, including sunflower oil, corn oil and fish oils).

Saturated fats and trans fats raise the “bad” cholesterol levels in the blood, which can increase the risk of heart disease. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats do not raise bad cholesterol and are beneficial in moderation.

Health advocates filed a petition in 1994 asking that the FDA require trans fats to be listed on nutrition labels. And as of Jan. 1, 2006, the FDA began doing just that.

“It’s really come about from a long time of research,” said Suzanne Stluka, a registered dietitian and nutrition education coordinator for the South Dakota State University Extension Service. “This is nothing new. The fact that they’re putting it on the label is what’s new. … Consumers are trying to be healthy, so they’re just demanding it.”

But the trans fat labels don’t tell the whole story,

Stluka said.

“The trick that some consumers don’t know is that if it does say it has 0 grams of trans fat in the product … it can still have .49 grams of trans fat per serving,” she said. “If a consumer eats more (than one serving), they’re actually getting a gram of trans fat that they don’t even realize.”

The truth is in the rest of the label. Food products always list ingredients, and the “partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil” you see in that list means the food contains trans fats — even if the box says, “0 trans fats.”

According to the FDA Web site, foods with less than ½ gram of trans fat per serving don’t have to list the trans fat. In that case, a footnote is added stating that the food is “not a significant source of trans fat.”

Stluka notes a potential problem with the push to eliminate trans fats. When a trans fat is removed from a food product, it’s likely being replaced with a saturated fat. “It does the same thing,” she said. “It increases LDL (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which can clog arteries). With the whole heart-attack issue, it can be just as bad for you.”

There are several reasons so many manufacturers continue to use unhealthy fats. One is cost: More healthful oils tend to cost more.

“Cost is a driving force,” Stluka said. “I think it might be more the smaller companies that might see the cost being an issue.”

If consumers want healthful foods, they might have to pay little more, she said. “I think pretty soon it’s going to level out. It’s not that huge of a cost difference.”

With the trans fat movement now in full swing, what’s the next health issue on the horizon? Stluka suspects a possible push for more fruits and vegetables.

“That’s an issue we always have. People are just not consuming the right amounts of those daily,” she said, noting that many people don’t know how much a serving is. “It’s kind of on the back burner.”

Contact Heidi Bell Gease at 394-8419 or heidi.bell@rapidcityjournal.com