Trans Fats and Your Heart

Filed in archive Heart and Stroke on April 12, 2007

It's common knowledge. Trans fats are bad for your health. New research only emphasizes that.

An article I found on North Jersey.com, and originally from the Washington Post News service, tells us:

Based on the earlier blood tests, women with the highest levels of trans fatty acids in their red blood cells were roughly three times more likely to have developed heart disease than were women whose blood had the smallest traces of trans fatty acids.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? Women. About 8 million women in the United States are living with heart disease. Trans fats -- which occur naturally in beef, lamb and dairy products and are created when vegetable oils are processed to improve the texture and stability of foods -- have been linked to heart disease through their effect on cholesterol levels.

Former Fat Guy.com has some excellent tips on avoiding trans fats, including this one for eating in restaurants:

To avoid trans fats in restaurants, one strategy is to avoid deep-fried foods, since many restaurants continue to use partially hydrogenated oils in their fryers. You may be able to help change this cooking practice by asking your server, the chef, or manager if the establishment uses trans-free oils (Fats & Cholesterol).