Not all fats are bad for you; some, like polyunsaturated fats found in vegetable oils and fish, can be good for your health. However, partially hydrogenated fats, or trans fats, are detrimental to health and have been banned in some countries.
Many people believe that eating fat is bad for you. While this is partially true, it is not completely accurate. Some fats, such as lard and some margarines, are saturated fat, which can be bad for your health. Other fats, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, may actually be good for you. Polyunsaturated fats are those that have less hydrogen in their chemical structure than saturated fats.
The chemical structure of a fatty acid is made up of hydrogen and carbon. A saturated fatty acid has single bonds between its carbon atoms and carries the maximum amount of hydrogen it can hold. A polyunsaturated fat has double bonds between some of its carbon atoms, which means there are fewer hydrogen atoms than a saturated fat. It is this chemical characteristic that gives a polyunsaturated fat its relatively low melting point. The chemical structure also means that these fats tend to go rancid easily.
Polyunsaturated fats can be found naturally in many products. Vegetable oils and fish are two such sources. Oily fish, such as salmon, is full of a particularly important polyunsaturated fat known as Omega 3 fatty acid. Although essential to the body, this fat is not produced by the body. Instead, it must be obtained from external sources.
Scientists recommend eating polyunsaturated fats because they can help a person’s health. These fats can increase good cholesterol while lowering bad cholesterol. In other words, polyunsaturated fats can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Many people now cook with vegetable oil instead of a saturated fat, like lard.
However, not all unsaturated fats are good for you. Unsaturated fats generally remain liquid and unstable at room temperature, but there is a process that can make them more stable: hydrogenation. This is the process used to make margarine. A partially hydrogenated fat, sometimes called trans fat, is an unsaturated fat that has had hydrogen added to make it more stable. These types of fats tend to remain solid at room temperature, just like saturated fats.
Trans fats have been shown to be detrimental to a person’s health. These fats can cause a decrease in good cholesterol and an increase in bad cholesterol. This process can lead to health problems, such as cardiovascular disease. For this reason, some countries, including Denmark, have moved to ban trans fats. In other countries, including the United States, trans fats are being phased out of many fast food chains, although many states do not require it.
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