Transformers don't like trans fat

Harvard.edu confirms current research: New research confirms danger of trans fats

If you needed another reason to avoid trans fats, here it is. Researchers with the ongoing Nurses’ Health Study measured the amount of trans fat stored in red blood cells. Among the 32,000 middle-aged women participating in the study, 166 had heart attacks or died of heart disease during a six-year period. Their red blood cells had slightly higher loads of trans fat than did red blood cells of 327 women of the same ages and characteristics who remained free of heart disease.

Artificial trans fats are found in hard margarines, many commercially baked goods, and the fried foods in many restaurants, and research has consistently shown they aren’t good for the heart and blood vessels. Across the board, the more trans fat in red blood cells, the greater the chances of having a heart attack. Women with the highest trans fat load had triple the risk of women with the lowest. This study, published in the April 10, 2007, Circulation, strongly supports recommendations by the Institute of Medicine and the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans to cut back — or better yet, cut out — trans fats in the diet. Eliminating them from the food supply could avert as many as 264,000 heart attacks and heart-related deaths each year in the United States alone.

Trans Fats at Home and Abroad

A prime source of trans fat is partially hydrogenated oil, which many fast-food restaurants continue to use for deep frying. To see if this differed by country, three Danish doctors determined the trans fat content of French fries and chicken nuggets bought in 24 McDonald’s and KFC restaurants on four continents. As shown above, a large fries-and-nuggets combination delivered 10 grams of trans fat in New York City but less than a gram in Denmark, which limits the use of trans fats. A similar serving of fries and chicken nuggets in a KFC in Hungary delivered a whopping 25 grams of trans fat.

For more information on heart disease, order our Special Health Report, The Healthy Heart: Preventing, detecting, and treating coronary artery disease, at www.health.harvard.edu/HH.