What is trans fat?
Q: What is trans fat?
A: Trans fat is a type of unsaturated fat that is often produced in higher amounts when manufacturing certain processed foods such as margarine. It occurs in nature only very rarely, found in small amounts in meat and milk fat.
Q: How is trans fat made?
A: Trans fats are made when vegetable oils are heated or "hydrogenated", which is the process of bubbling hydrogen gas through the oil to change its consistency. This process allows for cheaply adding a butter-like consistency to food products.
Q: What health issues have been linked to eating trans fats?
A: Eating trans fats has been linked to a number of health problems including coronary heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, liver dysfunction, and infertility.
Q: Are healthy oils liquid at the temperature of blood?
A: Yes, healthy oils are always liquid at the temperature of blood while saturated and trans fats are not.
Q: Is there any evidence that suggests that eating trans fats can be beneficial for human health?
A: No, there has yet to be a study which shows that eating trans fats can be beneficial for human health in any way.
Q: How can people ensure that their food does not contain any trans fat?
A: Reading the ingredients label on food products is the safest way to ensure that it does not contain any trans fat at all. Additionally, fried foods may likely contain some amount of trans fat since they are produced by using very hot oil.
