By now you've probably at least heard of trans fats, but may not know much about them. Are they good or bad for our health? What are they? Here's the quick and dirty:
In response to the bad science erupting in the 1970's regarding heart disease and saturated fat consumption, the food industry created an alternative type of fat, trans fatty acids. These fats are made by applying high heat and pressure, along with some type of metal catalyst such as nickel, platinum, or palladium, to a fat (usually vegetable oil) to saturate, or fill up, all the bond sites. This alternative was used to create a similar tasting fat in processed foods, but without all the heart attacks and strokes.
What was discovered much later was that heart disease continued to soar while saturated fat consumption was down, leading to the realization that trans fats were actually worse on heart health than the previous saturated fats, which is why the FDA ruled that by the end of 2018 all manufacturers must eliminate them from their products. You can find them listed as "partially or fully hydrogenated oil" in the ingredients on any processed food as well as finding them included on the nutrition label. *Side note, trans fat may be listed as "0g" if there are 0.5g or less PER SERVING, which may lead to consumers unknowingly eating these fats if several servings are eaten which contain 0.4g each.
So what are manufacturers to do now? Most have turned to the use of palm oil and palm kernel oil as an alternative to these now-illegal trans fats to maintain the same taste and texture of their products. However, these fats come from the palm nut which is also high in saturated fats (long-chained ones that haven't been shown to be any better than animal fats on heart health) and has devastating impact on land and local way of life, wildlife habitat, and many species of animals who live in the regions being used to now grow palm trees (Indonesia, Borneo, Malaysia- produce ~85% of the world's supply). Pictures here are from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA where one of the few remaining Sumatran tigers in the world is on display (estimated to be ~400 left in the world and is labeled as critically endangered), along with several species of elephant (Sumatran and Bornean pigmy- critically endangered), Sumatran rhino (critically endangered), and 2 species of orangutan (Sumatran and Bornean- both critically endangered).
In response to the bad science erupting in the 1970's regarding heart disease and saturated fat consumption, the food industry created an alternative type of fat, trans fatty acids. These fats are made by applying high heat and pressure, along with some type of metal catalyst such as nickel, platinum, or palladium, to a fat (usually vegetable oil) to saturate, or fill up, all the bond sites. This alternative was used to create a similar tasting fat in processed foods, but without all the heart attacks and strokes.
What was discovered much later was that heart disease continued to soar while saturated fat consumption was down, leading to the realization that trans fats were actually worse on heart health than the previous saturated fats, which is why the FDA ruled that by the end of 2018 all manufacturers must eliminate them from their products. You can find them listed as "partially or fully hydrogenated oil" in the ingredients on any processed food as well as finding them included on the nutrition label. *Side note, trans fat may be listed as "0g" if there are 0.5g or less PER SERVING, which may lead to consumers unknowingly eating these fats if several servings are eaten which contain 0.4g each.
So what are manufacturers to do now? Most have turned to the use of palm oil and palm kernel oil as an alternative to these now-illegal trans fats to maintain the same taste and texture of their products. However, these fats come from the palm nut which is also high in saturated fats (long-chained ones that haven't been shown to be any better than animal fats on heart health) and has devastating impact on land and local way of life, wildlife habitat, and many species of animals who live in the regions being used to now grow palm trees (Indonesia, Borneo, Malaysia- produce ~85% of the world's supply). Pictures here are from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA where one of the few remaining Sumatran tigers in the world is on display (estimated to be ~400 left in the world and is labeled as critically endangered), along with several species of elephant (Sumatran and Bornean pigmy- critically endangered), Sumatran rhino (critically endangered), and 2 species of orangutan (Sumatran and Bornean- both critically endangered).
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Check your labels and look for Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) for farms that use land responsibly to grow palm trees which impact the land less, pay workers well for their labor, and prevent poaching of wildlife.
When possible avoid palm oil and butter in foods you like, such as peanut butter, tortillas, and crackers. There are alternatives which don't contain palm oil and since there isn't reliable research on the long-term effects of palm oil intake, it's best to reduce total intake to reduce heart disease and stroke risk.
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