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The straight story on why trans fats are bad news

From nutrition labels now being required to list them to New York City health officials banning them from restaurants, trans fats have been making a lot of headlines this year.

But what are they, where do they lurk and why are they bad for you?

Naturally occurring trans fats in meat and dairy products account for a small percentage of our total trans fat consumption. The majority comes from trans fats that are created when hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils to make them solid at room temperature and less prone to rancidity.

These partially hydrogenated oils not only extend shelf life for the food they are used in, but they also impart desirable texture and flavor qualities to fried and processed foods and baked goods, explains Robert Reeves, president of the Institute of Shortenings and Edible Oils in Washington.

Hydrogenated oils turn up in fast-food restaurants, bakeries, cafeterias and supermarkets in such foods as shortening and certain margarines, doughnuts, cookies and pies, microwave popcorn and crackers, french fries and fried fish sandwiches, and frozen pizzas and refrigerated biscuit dough.

Use of partially hydrogenated oils got a boost in the 1960s and 1970s as food manufacturers started looking for an alternative to cholesterol-laden animal fats and other saturated fat sources.

Since then, experts have discovered that trans fatty acids in these oils are worse for human health than other types of fats. Trans fats have been found to significantly increase the risk of heart disease and can play havoc with our cholesterol levels.

“Basically, (trans fats) have no positive health benefits,” says Nellie Wixom, program director of the University of Rochester’s Nutrition Weight Management Center.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2005 Food Guide Pyramid urges Americans to limit trans fat consumption, but it does not give a recommended amount, notes Wixom. The American Heart Association suggests limiting trans fats to 1 percent of total calorie intake. For a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s 2 grams per day. (There are 3.5 grams in a small order of McDonald’s fries.)

While attention on trans fats is helpful, it is far from being a silver bullet, says Dr. John Bisognano, director of the Strong Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, also in Rochester, N.Y.

“It’s important (to raise awareness of bad fats), but it diverts the real issue, which is that people take in too many calories and too much fat, they are too heavy and they aren’t active enough.”