A few years back, we were told to switch from butter to margarine because margarine is not a saturated fat. Now researchers have discovered that the fat contained in most margarines and many other processed foods (such as breads, crackers, cookies, cakes, doughnuts and pastries) - trans fat - may be more harmful to us than we originally thought.

What is trans fat?
Trans fats are not natural - they are synthetic, created during the process of hydrogenating oil. I'm sure you have seen hydrogenated oil on the ingredient list of some of your favorite foods, but perhaps you didn't know the story behind it. Hydrogenated oil is oil that has been chemically changed from a liquid to a solid or semi-solid by adding hydrogen. This is generally done to increase the shelf life of the end product. While this may be good for the manufacturer, the consumer is the one who suffers. Products made with hydrogenated oils contain a type of fat called trans fat. Trans fats, like the notorious saturated fats, have been found to increase LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and lower HDL cholesterol levels (the good cholesterol), thereby increasing the risk of coronary heart disease.

For instance, according to a recent study involving some eighty thousand women, for every five-per-cent increase in the amount of saturated fats that a woman consumes, her risk of heart disease increases by seventeen per cent. However, only a two-per-cent increase in trans fats will increase her heart-disease risk by ninety-three per cent. Walter Willett, an epidemiologist at Harvard who helped design the study, estimates that the consumption of trans fats in the United States probably causes about thirty thousand premature deaths a year.

How do I know if a product contains trans fat?
Food companies are now required to list the trans fat content on nutrition labels.

You may be able to tell if a product contains trans fat, even if it's not directly listed on the food label. Look for the words 'hydrogenated' or 'partially hydrogenated' in the list of ingredients. These terms indicate that the product contains trans fat. Unfortunately, you won't be able to tell how much trans fat is included. Some margarines and other products are labeled "Trans Fat Free;" look for those in the supermarket.

One hint: The list of ingredients on labels is in order from most prevalent by weight to least prevalent which will at least give you a slight clue as to how much hydrogenated fat you are consuming.

Since saturated AND trans fat are not good for us, it's best to try to limit your intake of both of these types of fats, focusing instead on monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

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