What are trans fats?
When we defend that a diet must be a healthy and healthy food, one of the issues that we should take into account (besides the consumption of fruit and vegetable), is to remove the so-called Trans fat of our daily diet.
Generally the Trans fat we usually find them in minimal or very small amounts in some foods of animal origin, although most of the fats of this type that we ingest are of artificial origin.
For this main reason, experts recommend being alert with many processed foods, and others that are supposedly "innocent", but that result in this type of fats very harmful to the body.
What are trans fats?
The Trans fat They are liquid vegetable oils that are converted into solids through a process called hydrogenation. It tends to be applied to the vegetable oils with which, for example, some margarines are made, although more and more companies are trying to avoid them.
This hydrogenation allows to extend the life of this type of oils, so it is prevented from becoming rancid. And a number is more than alarming: trans fats are used in 90% of processed foods that are currently marketed, as they improve the flavor and extend the life of the product.
The process of hydrogenation of vegetable fats
Explained in a simple way, we can indicate that the hydrogenation process an isomer (called "trans") is created, which our organism is certainly incapable of eliminating, and from which it is derived -according to what is believed- all the health problems that the intake of trans fats entails.
How trans fats harm health
It is true that only some of its negative effects are known, but recent studies have shown that this type of fat should be consumed with great caution.
This research has shown that trans fats modify the proportion of lipoproteins in the blood in a totally unfavorable way, increasing the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) to the detriment of good (HDL).
This type of trans fat differs from the Saturated fats, in that the latter, although they are still not very beneficial for health, our body is able to recognize and assimilate them without problems.
Something that does not happen with trans fats, because our body does not recognize them, since their structure has been modified, so fats end up adhering to the arteries.
In this sense, the foods rich in trans fats They are mainly pastries, cookies, precooked foods, some margarines and salty snacks, among others. Therefore, reducing or restricting your consumption of your diet is essential.
More information | Empty calories: keys to eliminate them from the diet This article is published only for informative purposes. You can not and should not replace the consultation with a Nutritionist. We advise you to consult your trusted Nutritionist.
