Beginning in January 2008, the FDA required that food labels include information on trans fats. The FDA approved this new regulation because of the conclusion of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) that there is no safe level of trans fats in the diet.
Trans fats are man-made, factory fats. Many times they are of GMO origin as well. They do not occur anywhere in nature (more on this below).
Edible oil companies create it via the highly industrialized, chemical process of partial hydrogenation. This is why health authorities sometimes refer to trans fats like partially hydrogenated fats.
Trans Fat = Partially Hydrogenated Fat
The list of ailments associated with trans fats is long.
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Infertility
- Auto-Immune Disorders
- Degeneration of bones and tendons
- Cancer
- Heart Disease
With the labels of most processed foods now proudly displaying zero trans fats, consumers may think they have now rid themselves of this dangerous ingredient.
Not so.
How Food Manufacturers Game the Transfat Label
To determine the extent of the trans fat labeling fraud, the Weston A. Price Foundation contracted with the Burnsides Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois to test various grocery items for trans fat content.
While the results of this testing did indeed indicate that the trans fat content of processed foods is greatly reduced, it is far from gone.
This is because food manufacturers are permitted to put ZERO next to the trans fat line item on the label as long as the food contains .5 grams or less of trans fat per serving.
Food manufacturers work around this requirement by making the serving sizes unnaturally small. These portions are not based on the reality of how people actually consume these products.
If an individual eats an entire bag of chips or close to it while watching TV, for instance, quite a bit of trans fats will be consumed. Remember that the NAS said that there is no safe level of trans fat consumption.
The good news is that some of the foods tested such as Oreos and Goldfish crackers accurately tested at zero transfats.
Other Types of Factory Fats Just as Bad
If your foods are labeled with no trans fats, that doesn’t mean they are free of factory fats though. It just means that they are free of one type of dangerous fat.
Interesterified fats are the go-to factory fat used in place of trans fats in processed foods. These fats have their own health concerns as they are very high in cancer-causing free radicals. This occurs due to the high heat processing required to produce them.
So, while Country Crock is labeled “heart-healthy” because it is very low in transfats, on the flip side it is very high in delicate omega-6 fats (vegetable oils). When subjected to the high heat interesterification process required to produce it, this butter substitute becomes dangerous to health and very likely carcinogenic.
It is best to avoid any type of fat that requires a factory to produce it. The good news is that health-oriented food companies are starting to switch to healthier alternatives like avocado oil. This fat can withstand very high temperatures without rancidity setting in.
Trans Fat in Animal Foods?
One last point about trans fat. Don’t fall for the misguided argument that animal foods like butter, cream, and grass-fed meat should be avoided as they contain a small amount of naturally occurring trans fat.
Federal labeling for trans fat does not distinguish between naturally occurring trans fat and the artificially created, synthetic kind.
However, the trans fat in animal foods is completely different structurally to the factory produced trans fats in processed foods.
Trans fat in animal foods is actually trans vaccenic acid (VA) and is used by humans to synthesize conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA is highly beneficial for losing weight and building muscle mass.
CLA can reduce risk factors for the Big Three of degenerative disease: obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
So next time you see a ZERO next to the trans fats in your favorite processed food label, know that chances are these dangerous factory fats are still in there. But don’t be put off by trans fat content of natural foods like butter. These trans fats made by Mother Nature will help keep you slim and healthy!
Sources
Trans Fats in the Food Supply, Wise Traditions Journal
Health Benefits Discovered in Natural Trans Fats, University of Alberta Shows
Great post Sarah. I’ve also noticed on many labels which say zero trans fats, that most of them still contain oils – like peanut, sunflower, safflower, corn oil, and other – that are deodorized, subjected to high heat, and heavily processed, which I’m pretty certain still puts them squarely in the category of trans fat anyway (the unnatural variety, that is). The food industry is so full of deceptions, it’s really difficult to trust anything you read on nutritional labels at all. Especially with all the exceptions and omissions being made now due to changing FDA laws like this one where it’s “less than 0.5%” and therefore is considered “zero”.
Thanks for bringing this up, Sarah. I have paid attention to this, and caught on immediately with the “per serving” modification. If there’s zero trans fats, they can just say zero, and not have to say per serving. We have stopped buying processed foods in any event, but it’s sad how many people out there are being duped, and thinking they’re eating a ‘healthier’ choice!
One time, in search of trans-fat free crackers for my boys in a pinch, I tried to buy a store brand, and they listed interesterified fats intstead of hydrogenated fats. I looked it up on my Iphone at the store, and of course, I found that they were relatd to hydrogenated fats, so I didn’t buy them!
Unfortunately, we let ourselves walk into the food manufacturers traps by not educating ourselves. they think if they change the name of something, we’ll just buy into it (pun intended!).
Guess What? You’re Likely Still Eating Trans Fats – The Healthy Home Economist
http://t.co/MffpXvQb
This serving size issue is very deceptive. It is used in the marketing of “sugar free” items like Splenda, which really have quite a bit of sugar in them if you look at what the fillers are.
So, what foods are CLA found in?
thehealthyhomeeconomist-I knew it had to be different and not harmful, but still it stuck with me that it was in there. Thanks!
Yet another reason to eat real food you make yourself. That way you won’t fall prey to the tricks of the manufactured “food” industry.
Sarah, do you know if CAFO meats have a different fatty acid profile than grassed meats? I know they have less omega-3 but do they also have the wrong kind of transfats? Mercola today had an article on what we should eat to avoid breast cancer and he quotes a former plastic surgeon (breast reconstruction) telling us to avoid red meat, esp. CAFO meats. Are there studies showing that industrially produced beef causes cancer?
Yes they do. There is little to no CLA in CAFO meat. Grassfed meat has a lot of CLA which helps you lose weight and build muscle mass.
@Kati At the end of the post is a discussion of the trans fats in animal foods like yogurt. It is not the same as the trans fats in processed foods and not dangerous.
Guess What? You’re Likely Still Eating Trans Fats – The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/tt8OFThA