Studies have
shown that trans fats reduce our
levels of HDL
(the good cholesterol) and increase our levels of LDL (the bad
cholesterol).
All of which may be bad for your heart.
So cities across the US
have either already banned trans fats from their restaurants or are
considering
doing so. All in the name of protecting the public health.
Also, many food companies are
reformulating their foods to
eliminate trans fats. But then they have to. Otherwise, they’ll be
portrayed as
the bad guys trying to make a buck off the poor, unsuspecting public by
poisoning us with their unhealthy foods.
The campaign to raise public
awareness of the dangers of
trans fats has led many consumers to believe that a ban will be healthy
for
them. So there are many people who are all for it.
But The Hype Has Just Begun
In fact, a recent study actually
tried to link trans fats to infertility.
Even nutritionist Marion Nestle,
PhD, MPH, a professor at New York
University,
expressed skepticism about that conclusion in an article recently
published on
WebMD.
So are city governments
justified in banning trans fats from
our foods? Or are these local governments making a mistake because of
all the
anti-trans fat hype?
Regardless of how you feel about
the government legislating
what we eat, here’s the problem.
Trans fats are being replaced in
many foods by a new type of
fat called interesterified fats.
But according to the results of a study published
in the journal,
Nutrition and Metabolism, interesterified fats may be even more
dangerous for
us than trans fats.
You see, interesterified fats
also lower our levels of HDL
(the good cholesterol). Just like trans fats. So there’s still a heart
health
issue.
But Now There's A New Health Risk
Interesterified fats were found
to significantly increase blood sugar and depress insulin. Which may
increase your
risk for diabetes. Or cause potential problems for you if you already
have
diabetes.
If you remember, trans fats
replaced saturated fats years
ago because saturated fats were supposed to be unhealthy. At the
time, trans fats were believed to be healthier.
So much for that conclusion. But
it gets worse.
These new interesterified fats
were found to increase blood
sugar by 20% more than good old saturated fats.
That was in a mere four weeks.
Imagine what would happen
over a longer period of time.
Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Fire
It seems like every time the
food police insist on
changing the type of fats found in our food, they introduce new and
potentially
more dangerous health risks for us.
If you’re concerned about this
new diabetes risk, you can
check the ingredient list of your foods if it’s available.
Interesterified fats
are labelled as “fully hydrogenated oil.”
But maybe it’s time to consider
another course. Maybe we
shouldn’t be reformulating our foods after every study. And we
certainly
shouldn’t be banning foods unless we’re sure the alternatives are safer.
Most importantly, maybe it’s
time for the food police to get
off their high horses and quit telling the rest of us how to eat. They
don’t
exactly have a good track record.
Should We Stop The Trans Fat Bans Before
It's Too Late?
I’m not arguing that trans fats
are healthy. But I think
it’s a foolish mistake to reformulate all of our foods until more
studies have
been done. We need reasonable proof that we’ve found a safer
alternative.
If you’re
concerned about the health risks from these
new fats, you may want to get in touch with your local legislators. And
stop
the ban on trans fats until we know for sure that we aren’t jumping out
of the
frying pan and into the fire.