Trans fats, also called trans fatty acids, are forms of fat found in solid fats, such as stick margarine and vegetable shortening, and in certain processed foods. Scientists have found that people who eat a diet high in trans fats have an increased risk of heart disease.
Foods made with or cooked in partially hydrogenated (processed with hydrogen) oil contain trans fats. Trans fats are used to improve flavor, texture, and freshness of many foods. Such foods include cookies, crackers, doughnuts, potato chips, and some salad dressings.
Trans fats in the diet raise the amount of a substance called LDL cholesterol in the blood, which increases the risk of heart disease. Nutrition experts recommend that people limit trans fats in their diet as much as possible while still eating a healthy diet. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that food labels list the amount of trans fats contained.
All fats contain fatty acids, which consist of chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached. Fatty acids occur in two forms called saturated and unsaturated. A saturated fatty acid has a chemical structure in which as many hydrogen atoms as possible are linked to its carbon chain. An unsaturated fatty acid contains at least two fewer hydrogen atoms than a saturated fatty acid with the same number of carbon atoms. Trans fats are produced by hydrogenating unsaturated oils at high temperature. This process adds hydrogen atoms and causes the fatty acid chains to straighten out. The straighter chains can stack closer together, forming more solid fats.
In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO), a specialized health agency of the United Nation, released a plan to help countries eliminate all trans fats from the global food supply by 2023. Experts at WHO estimate that eating trans fats leads to the deaths of more than 500,000 people from heart disease every year.
See also Cholesterol ; Fat (Structure) ; Nutrition (Fats) .
