{"id":2486,"date":"2020-02-22T10:42:28","date_gmt":"2020-02-22T10:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insulean.co.uk\/?p=2486"},"modified":"2020-02-22T10:42:28","modified_gmt":"2020-02-22T10:42:28","slug":"trans-fats-star-kenya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insulean.co.uk\/trans-fats-star-kenya\/","title":{"rendered":"Trans-Fats – A Master of Disguise"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

There is one thing that everyone in the nutrition field, myself included, agrees on – foods containing artificial trans-fats are absolutely the worst you could eat.<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n

We\u2019ve long suspected that trans-fats increase the risk of heart disease by promoting inflammation, and we now have good quality evidence supporting this position. Artificial trans-fats are downright dangerous and rather than being minimised, they should be avoided altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Defining Trans-Fats<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are two types of trans-fats – natural and artificial. Trans-fats, also known as trans-unsaturated fatty acids or trans-fatty acids, are a type of unsaturated fat. Natural trans-fats are formed by the bacteria that reside in the stomachs of ruminant animals, and they make their way, in small amounts, to the milk or meat products that we consume. Butter, for example, contains about 3% trans-fat.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, artificial trans-fats are mainly formed during hydrogenation<\/a>. Hydrogenation is an industrial process that uses heat and pressure to add hydrogen molecules to liquid oils. This is one of a number of methods that give margarine and shortening a harder consistency. It also extends their shelf-life. Hydrogenation turns some of the vegetable oils into\u00a0trans-fats, which resemble saturated fat but are distinctly different from natural, healthy saturated fat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trans-fats are known to cause inflammation and the hardening of arteries, raising your risk of death from heart disease and stroke. Trans-fats can also interfere with the normal function of cells, nerves, and the brain.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In light of the scientific consensus, nutrition authorities worldwide consider all artificial trans-fats harmful to health and recommend that their consumption be reduced to trace amounts, or eliminated altogether. In 2018, the World Health Organisation (WHO) introduced a 6-step guide to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fats from the global food supply.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hidden Dangers<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

A number of food producers, under pressure from consumer lobby groups or national legislation, have agreed to cut out trans-fats. This is a good move, and far fewer trans-fat containing products are on the market. So why am I still raising concerns? Because a number of foods still contain them, in disguise. Often listed as \u2018mono and diglycerides of fatty acids\u2019, they can be found in many products including donuts, pastries, ice-cream, cooking fats and bread. Emulsifiers are chemical compounds that help prevent some of the constituent ingredients of a food from separating out from each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

Worldwide, shortening has been falling out of favour and fashion because of its high trans-fat content, necessitating reformulation by manufacturers. The term “shortening” technically refers to any\u00a0type of fat that is solid at room temperature.\u00a0We have a number of these brands in Kenya which remain very popular due to their low consumer cost and long shelf-life. To draw attention away from what you\u2019re actually buying, these fats are heavily marketed as being \u2018vegetable-based\u2019 and \u2018cholesterol-free\u2019, with added vitamins \u2013 attributes that many consumers are looking for in foods today. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, as more and more people become enlightened on the dangers of these fats and on the fact that dietary cholesterol is safe to eat, fewer are choosing to purchase these products, opting instead for more natural fats and oils, such as olive oil and coconut oil.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Highly-Processed Foods<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The primary dietary source of\u00a0trans-fats in\u00a0processed food\u00a0is \u2018partially hydrogenated oils\u2019. These appear in highly processed junk foods and are the worst fats, and foods, that you can eat. Examples include fried foods like donuts and potato chips and baked goods like cakes and biscuits. Recall that these foods are also high in added sugars \u2013 a double blow for those seeking to lose weight or gain health.<\/span><\/p>\n

The evidence agrees. Recent studies have confirmed that excessive consumption of trans-fats and carbohydrates from refined starches or sugars were associated with a\u00a0higher\u00a0risk of heart disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

“0% trans-fat”, can still contain trans-fatty acids from emulsifiers.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Many restaurants and takeaway shops fry potato chips in vegetable oil, which can contain trans-fats that permeate the food. Furthermore, high frying temperatures can increase the trans-fat content each time the same oil is re-used for frying.<\/span><\/p>\n

In summary, be mindful that a food may be labelled as “0% trans-fat”, yet still contain trans-fatty acids from emulsifiers. Here, we should ignore the front-of-package marketing and always read the ingredients list. I\u2019m always suspicious of food packaging that contains heavy marketing. I often suspect that they are trying to draw my attention away from something less appealing that the said food contains.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember that real, whole food contains next-to-no packaging. Think of the foods sold in an open market as opposed to a supermarket. Perhaps therein lies the clue \u2013 eat real, whole food.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This article was published in print and online<\/a> in The Star Kenya, on 9th December 2019.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  There is one thing that everyone in the nutrition field, myself included, agrees on – foods containing artificial trans-fats are absolutely the worst you could eat.   We\u2019ve long suspected that trans-fats increase the risk of heart disease by promoting inflammation, and we now have good quality evidence supporting this position. Artificial trans-fats are downright dangerous and rather than […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[169],"tags":[33,34,179,101],"yoast_head":"\nTrans-Fats - A Master of Disguise - Zero does not mean Zero<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There is one thing that everyone in the nutrition field agrees on - that foods containing artificial trans-fats are absolutely the worst you could eat.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.insulean.co.uk\/trans-fats-star-kenya\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trans-Fats - A Master of Disguise - Zero does not mean Zero\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There is one thing that everyone in the nutrition field agrees on - 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