Trans fat, also called trans-unsaturated fatty acids, or trans fatty acids, is a type of unsaturated fat that naturally occurs in small amounts in meat and milk fat. It became widely produced as an unintentional byproduct in the industrial processing of vegetable and fish oils in the early 20th century for use in margarine and later also in snack food, packaged baked goods, and for frying fast food.
Although trans fats are edible, consuming trans fats has been shown to increase the risk of coronary artery disease in part by raising levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, often termed "bad cholesterol"), lowering levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, often termed "good cholesterol"), increasing triglycerides in the bloodstream and promoting systemic inflammation. Eating trans fats increases your risk of
developing heart disease and stroke. It’s also associated with a
higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Common trans fats:
Commercial baked goods, such as cakes, cookies and pies.
Shortening.
Microwave popcorn.
Frozen pizza.
Refrigerated dough, such as biscuits and rolls.
Fried foods, including french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken.
Nondairy coffee creamer.
Stick margarine.
What is NOT well known is that trans fats USED to be healthy and made a person SKINNIER but then it became "trans" and now is trans "fat" and has the aforementioned health risks.
