Which is worse: Trans fat or saturated fat?

Question

Whats the difference? Do fats make you fat?

Answer 1

Transfats are ALWAYS bad. Saturated fat can be VERY good for you depending what else is in your diet. If you are low carbing saturated fat is excellent since your body burns it and doesn't store it, clogging arteries, etc. It's also loaded with nutrients.

For those with low cholesterol and no clogged arteries who don't follow low carb it can be eaten in moderation with no harm.

There is absolutely nothing positive about transfats and should never be consumed. They should be outlawed.

Fat does not make you fat but you do have to consider the calories. It does add flavor to food and also makes you feel more satisfied.

Answer 2

obviously trans fat:
Unlike other fats, trans fats are neither required nor beneficial for health.Eating trans fat increases the risk of coronary heart disease.For these reasons, health authorities worldwide recommend that consumption of trans fat be reduced to trace amounts. Trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils are generally considered to be worse than those occurring naturally.

Trans fats are increasingly being linked to chronic health conditions. (its basically hydrogenated unsaturated fats)

, the trans-fat diet reduced blood vessel function by 30% and lowered HDL ("good")-cholesterol levels by about one fifth, compared with the saturated-fat diet. Previous research has shown that trans fats, like saturated fats, also raise LDL ("bad")-cholesterol levels.

This suggests that trans fatty acids increase the risk of heart disease more than the intake of saturated fats.

The major sources of trans fats in our diet are the ready-made baked goods and fried fast foods. These foods are not labeled, so the consumer does not know how much trans fat he gets

FATS ARE THE ENERGY RESERVOIRS IN THE HUMAN BODY......so u need them....in adequate amount....for insulation e.t.c

hope this answers ur question!

Answer 3

Trans fat is much worse. by a power of about 100.

Answer 4

When we compare the biological effects of the trans fatty acids versus the saturated fatty acids, we see that

(1) saturated fatty acids raise HDL cholesterol, the so-called good cholesterol, whereas the trans fatty acids lower HDL cholesterol;

(2) saturated fatty acids lower the blood levels of the atherogenic lipoprotein [a], whereas trans fatty acids raise the blood levels of lipoprotein [a];

(3) saturated fatty acids conserve the good omega-3 fatty acids, whereas trans fatty acids cause the tissues to lose these omega-3 fatty acids;

(4) saturated fatty acids do not inhibit insulin binding, whereas trans fatty acids do inhibit insulin binding (see our page on diabetes);

(5) saturated fatty acids do not increase C-reactive protein, but trans fatty acids do increase C-reactive protein causing arterial inflammation;

(6) saturated fatty acids are the normal fatty acids made by the body, and they do not interfere with enzyme functions such as the delta-6-desaturase, whereas trans fatty acids are not made by the body, and they interfere with many enzyme functions such as delta-6-desaturase; and

(7) some saturated fatty acids are used by the body to fight viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, and they support the immune system, whereas trans fatty acids interfere with the function of the immune system.

Answer 5

trans fat is worse because it can affect every cell in your body...saturated fats seem to only be responsible for heart disease and blocking arteries. trans fats are hydrogenated fats that pack too tightly in the cell membranes of the cells of your body...this can prevent necessary nutrients or enzymes from entering or leaving the cell resulting in decreased cell function or cell death.

anything can make you fat if taken in excess...even proteins and carbs can be turned into fat and stored if you eat too much. but don't be afraid of fats...they are necessary and your body can't function properly without them...just eat good fats from natural foods that haven't been heated.

Answer 6

trans is worse, because it is BOTH saturated and unsaturtaed fat combined. bad for your arteries, since it'll clog it up(i think).

Answer 7

Both aren't good, but I'd say the lesser of two evils would be saturated fats, because they're naturally occurring. Your body can sort of recognise it.

Answer 8

If saturated fat is not so bad, then why are palm oils or coconut oils bad? Everyone says to eat olive oil, but to eat coconut oil...

Answer 9

what croc hunter said...but in a less plagerism form

Answer 10

Trans fatty acids (commonly termed trans fats) are a type of unsaturated fat (and may be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated).

Trans fats occur naturally, in small quantities in meat and dairy products from ruminants. Most trans fats consumed today, however, are industrially created through partial hydrogenation of plant oils and animal fats — a chemical process developed in the early 1900s and first commercialized as Crisco in 1909.

Unlike other fats, trans fats are neither required nor beneficial for health.[1] Eating trans fat increases the risk of coronary heart disease.[2] For these reasons, health authorities worldwide recommend that consumption of trans fat be reduced to trace amounts. Trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils are generally considered to be worse than those occurring naturally.[3]

Trans fats are increasingly being linked to chronic health conditions (see below), are tightly regulated in a few countries, are mandatory on product labels in many others, and are the central issue in several ongoing lawsuits (particularly against fast food outlets). Many companies are voluntarily removing trans fats from their products, or establishing trans-free product lines.

Chemically speaking, trans fats are made of the same building blocks as non-trans fats, but are a slightly different shape. From a molecular perspective, the different shape is caused by the double bonds between carbon atoms (characteristic of all unsaturated fats) being in the trans rather than the cis configuration. Trans fats are more of a straight shape, while the cis shape is more kinked.

Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils have been a significant part of the human diet for just over 100 years, and some deleterious effects of trans fat consumption are scientifically accepted, forming the basis of the health guidelines discussed above.

The exact biochemical methods by which trans fats produce specific health problems are a topic of continuing research. For example, the mechanisms through which trans fats contribute to coronary heart disease are fairly well understood, while the mechanism for trans fat's effect on diabetes is under investigation.

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Coronary heart disease
The primary health risk identified for trans fat consumption is an elevated risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).[18] A comprehensive review of studies of trans fats was published in 2006 in the New England Journal of Medicine that concludes that there is a strong and reliable connection between trans fats and CHD.[3]

The major evidence for the effect of trans fat on CHD comes from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) — a cohort study that has been following 120,000 female nurses since its inception in 1976.

Hu and colleagues analyzed data from 900 coronary events from the NHS population during 14 years of followup. He determined that a nurse's CHD risk roughly doubled (relative risk of 1.94) for each 2% increase in trans fat calories consumed (instead of carbohydrate calories). By contrast, it takes more than a 15% increase in saturated fat calories (instead of carbohydrate calories) to produce a similar increase in risk. Eating non-trans unsaturated fats instead of carbohydrates reduces the risk of CHD rather than increasing it.[19]

Hu also reports on the benefits of reducing trans fat consumption. Replacing 2% of food energy from trans fat with non-trans unsaturated fats more than halves the risk of CHD (53%). By comparison, replacing a larger 5% of food energy from saturated fat with non-trans unsatured fats reduces the risk of CHD by 43%.[19]

There are two accepted measures of risk for coronary heart disease, both blood tests. The first considers ratios of two types of cholesterol, the other the amount a cell-signalling cytokine called C-reactive protein. The ratio test is more accepted, while the cytokine test may be more powerful but is still being studied.[18] The effect of trans fat consumption has been documented on each as follows:

Cholesterol ratio: This ratio compares the levels of LDL (so-called "bad" cholesterol) to HDL (so-called "good" cholesterol). Trans fat behaves like saturated fat by raising the level of LDL, but unlike saturated fat it has the additional effect of decreasing levels of HDL. The net increase in LDL/HDL ratio with trans fat is approximately double that due to saturated fat.[20] (Higher ratios are worse.)
C-reactive protein (CRP): A study of over 700 nurses showed that those in the highest quartile of trans fat consumption had blood levels of CRP that was 73% higher than those in the lowest quartile.[21]
Another study considered deaths due to CHD, with consumption of trans fats being linked to an increase in mortality, and consumption of polyunsaturated fats being linked to a decrease in mortality.[18][22]

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Other effects
There has been suggestion that the negative consequences of trans fat consumption go beyond the cardiovascular risk. In general, there is much less scientific consensus that eating trans fat specifically increases the risk of other chronic health problems:

Cancer: There is no scientific consensus that consumption of trans fats significantly increases cancer risks across the board.[18] The American Cancer Society states that a relationship between trans fats and cancer "has not been determined."[23] However, one recent study has found connections between trans fat and prostate cancer.[24]
Diabetes: There is a growing concern that the risk of type 2 diabetes increases with trans fat consumption.[18] However, consensus has not been reached.[3] For example, one study found that risk is higher for those in the highest quartile of trans fat consumption.[25] Another study has found no diabetes risk once other factors such as total fat intake and BMI were accounted for.[26]
Obesity: Research with monkeys indicates that trans fat may increase weight gain and abdominal fat, despite a similar caloric intake [27]. A 6-year experiment revealed that monkeys fed a trans-fat diet gained 7.2% of their body weight, as compared to 1.8% for monkeys on a mono-unsaturated fat diet. Although obesity is frequently linked to trans fat in the popular media[28], this is generally in the context of eating too many calories; there is no scientific consensus connecting trans fat and obesity.
Liver Dysfunction: Trans fats are metabolized differently by the liver than other fats and interfere with delta 6 desaturase. Delta 6 desaturase is an enzyme involved in converting essential fatty acids to arachidonic acid and prostaglandins, both of which are important to the functioning of cells[29].


Saturated fat is fat that consists of triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between the carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain (hence, they are fully saturated with hydrogen atoms). There are several kinds of naturally occurring saturated fatty acids, with their only difference being the number of carbon atoms - from 1 to 24. Some common examples of saturated fatty acids are butyric acid with 4 carbon atoms (contained in butter), lauric acid with 12 carbon atoms (contained in Breast milk, coconut oil, palm oil, and cocoa butter), myristic acid with 14 carbon atoms (contained in cow milk and dairy products), palmitic acid with 16 carbon atoms (contained in meat) and stearic acid with 18 carbon atoms (also contained in meat).

Fat that occurs naturally in living matter such as animals and plants is used as food for human consumption and contains a varying proportion of saturated and unsaturated fat. Foods that contain a high proportion of saturated fat are butter, ghee, suet, tallow, lard, coconut oil, cottonseed oil and palm kernel oil, dairy products (especially cream and cheese), meat as well as some prepared foods.

Dehydrogenation converts saturated fats to unsaturated fats, while hydrogenation accomplishes the reverse.

Diets high in saturated fat correlate in some studies with an increased incidence of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease [citation needed]. Some studies suggest replacing saturated fats in the diet with unsaturated fats will increase one's ratio of HDL to LDL serum cholesterol.

It has been alleged that the many studies of saturated fat in the diet do not distinguish between saturated fat and trans fat. Some claim [citation needed] that saturated fat (in the absence of trans fat) is healthful; for example, foods such as peanuts and pure peanut butter (i.e. peanut butter having no added partially hydrogenated vegetable oil) contain saturated fat but no trans fat. Several studies have shown that a diet including regular consumption of peanuts or peanut butter can significantly lower LDL cholesterol while raising HDL levels compared to an average American diet, in turn reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease by as much as 21% (Kris-Etherton et al, 1999). However, the health benefits of these foods likely stem not from their saturated fat content, but rather their high levels of mono- and polyunsaturated fat.

Another confounding issue may be the formation of exogenous (outside the body) Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) and oxidation products generated during cooking, which it appears some of the studies have not controlled for. It has been suggested that, "given the prominence of this type of food in the human diet, the deleterious effects of high-fat foods may be in part due to the high content in glycotoxins, above and beyond those due to oxidized fatty acid derivatives." (Koschinsky, 1997) The glycotoxins, as he called them, are more commonly called AGEs.