what are trans fats and how are they controlled in your diet?

Answer 1

Trans fats occur naturally in very small amounts, but they are in humans' diets mainly because of processing of unsaturated fats to partially saturate them (add extra hydrogen to the fat chain of hydrocarbons.) When an unsaturated linkage (C=C double bond) is hydrogenated, it gains two hydrogens and becomes HC-CH; however, some of the double bonds are simply rearranged (PARTIAL hydrogenation). When this is done, the formerly cis-double bonds become trans-double bonds, cis-and trans being notations of the orientation of certain organic functional groups arranged around a double bond: cis denotes groups on the same side of the double bond, while trans denotes the groups on opposite sides of the double bond. This structural difference makes a big difference in the way the fatty acid is metabolized and stored. The trans fatty acids will cause more arterial buildup and also lower the levels of the good cholesterol in the body. They are not only bad for you (as people used to point the finger at saturated fats, which still aren't that good for you), but they do outright damage. A popular use of trans-fatty acids was in the manufacture of margarine. They partially hydrogenated the healthier unsaturated fats so they would remain solid at higher temperatures, thus allowing the "butter look" of margarine.

Answer 2

Basically, trans fat is made when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oil--a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods containing these fats.

Trans fat can be found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils. Unlike other fats, the majority of trans fat is formed when food manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats like shortening and hard margarine. A small amount of trans fat is found naturally, primarily in some animal-based foods.

Trans fat, like saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, raises the LDL cholesterol that increases your risk for CHD (Coronary Heart Decease). Americans consume on average 4 to 5 times as much saturated fat as trans fat in their diets.

Although saturated fat is the main dietary culprit that raises LDL, trans fat and dietary cholesterol also contribute significantly.

Answer 3

They are glicerides, and they are control by the lipid cells located just beneath the skin