Trans fats - what is it? How dangerous are they for the body?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 22:37

Trans fats - what is it? Unfortunately, few people think about this issue, and very in vain. Every day we eat butter, ice cream, processed cheese, confectionery, but we don’t even suspect how harmful these products can be to our body. All of them contain dangerous substances - trans fats. What it is? Let's talk about it in the article.

What are trans fats?

Trans fats are a solid fat mass obtained from vegetable oils in the process of hydrogenation: liquid vegetable oils are saturated with hydrogen bubbles at high temperatures, resulting in the formation of trans fatty acids, or unsaturated fatty acids with a distorted molecular structure. Due to the artificial processing of vegetable oil, approximately 30% of its molecules are converted into trans-isomers. Why are spenders dangerous? Once in the body, such molecules displace useful fatty acids from cell membranes, block enzymes, thereby disrupting the proper nutrition of cells and releasing them from waste products. The result of thisthere is a violation of metabolic processes in cells, which sooner or later will lead to various pathologies.

Where are trans fats found?

Trans fats are also found in natural products - meat, milk, butter. Trans fats are found in small amounts in butter (natural) or meat. Also, such harmful substances are formed during deep-frying, especially if one serving of margarine or butter is used several times.

Foods containing trans fats:

• mayonnaise, margarine, spread, ketchup, refined vegetable oils, all kinds of sauces;
• crackers, chips, nuts, snacks, popcorn, breakfast cereals;
• cakes, buns, gingerbread, crackers, shortbread and other confectionery;
• ice cream, some types of chocolate;
• processed cheese, semi-finished products - chilled dough, meatballs, pizza, fish sticks;

fast food products - hamburgers, french fries, pasties, breaded meat, donuts

Scientists have proven that a he althy dose of trans fats is 4 g per day. Just think, one serving of cereal contains about 2 g of trans fats, a pack of chips - 5 g, a serving of french fries or fried chicken - about 7 g. There are 1.5-6% trans fats in the spread, 20-40% in baking margarine, in soft margarine - 0.1-17%.

Trans fats are harmful to the body

The civilized world has long been worriedthe use of synthetic fats in the food industry. Numerous studies from around the world confirm the negative effects of the use of substances such as trans fats.

Vegetable fats can cause enormous damage:

• the quality of milk deteriorates in nursing mothers, while with it the spenders are transferred to the child;
• children are born with pathologically low weight;
• risk of developing diabetes increases;
• prostaglandins are disturbed, which negatively affects the condition of the connective tissue and joints;
• the function of cytochrome oxidase, an enzyme that is directly involved in the neutralization of carcinogens and chemicals, is disrupted;
• immunity weakens;
• reduced testosterone levels (male sex hormone) and deteriorating sperm quality.

Impaired cell metabolism can provoke diseases such as arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, blurred vision, obesity, cancer.

Consumption of foods containing trans fats reduces the body's ability to withstand stressful situations, increases the risk of depression. Also, artificial fats provoke the development of senile dementia and premature aging of the body.

The harm of trans fats for children's body

What are the dangers of trans fats forchildren? The child's body is more susceptible to the penetration of infections, since its immune system is not yet fully formed. The use of trans fats has a depressing effect on an already weak immune system. In addition, such harmful substances can cause low intelligence in children and adolescents.

Why do trans fats continue to be used?

Everything is quite simple. The main task of manufacturers is to reduce the cost of food products, improve their consumer properties and increase shelf life. Synthetic fats, unlike natural oils, do not deteriorate and can be stored at room temperature for an unlimited period of time. Margarine retains its properties for years, being out of the refrigerator, while even insects will not touch it.

Natural oils are very difficult to store, and their price is higher. Under the influence of light, air, high temperature, natural fat is rapidly oxidized. Artificial trans fats do not burn through, making them reusable when frying food.

How to avoid trans fats?

So, trans fats - what they are and why they are dangerous, we found out. But how can you protect yourself from these harmful substances? First of all, you should carefully read the labels on the packages. Avoid products that contain hydrogenated fats, cooking oil, cocoa butter substitutes, margarine, peanut, soy, cottonseed, canola, safflower, and palm oils. Eliminate mayonnaise, spread, margarine,prepared sauces. It is recommended to give preference to homemade butter, ideally ghee. Store-bought 70-80% fat is a low-grade vegetable oil broken down by hydrogen. Real butter cannot contain less than 82.5% fat.

Remove fried, deep-fried foods from your diet. Boil, stew, bake in the oven, cook on the grill or double boiler. Refuse or reduce to a minimum the use of store-bought buns, cookies, cakes. Homemade cakes made with natural butter are much he althier and tastier than industrial sweets.

Can trans fats be eliminated from the body?

Unfortunately, to the question of how to remove trans fats from the body, the answer is obvious - no way. Cells with an already built-in trans fat molecule will surely die. But the body has the ability to recover and renew itself very quickly. In place of the dead cell, a new one is necessarily formed. You can speed up this process by following certain recommendations. It is necessary to exclude from the diet all foods that contain trans fats. If it is not possible to completely give up junk food, you should reduce the amount of trans fats consumed to 1 g per day.

Where are trans fats found and what harm can they do, we figured out which foods will benefit our body? It is recommended to consume as many fresh vegetables and fruits as possible. Vitamins will positively affect the state of the body. On how soon he will get rid of the damagedcells, is affected by the degree of slagging, general he alth, age and many other factors. The recovery process, of course, is lengthy, but positive results will certainly be achieved.

For dressing salads, use unrefined vegetable oil - olive, linseed, sunflower. You can also fill dishes with corn, mustard, pumpkin oil, walnut oil. Only a cold-pressed product can benefit the body. Include nuts, seeds, fatty fish, red and black caviar in your diet. All of these foods are sources of fatty acids that cells need to effectively combat the effects of eating trans fats.

Regularly include oatmeal and brown rice in your menu, these foods contain vitamin E, which acts as a protector of important omega fatty acids for the body.

Conclusion

In this article, we have analyzed such a concept as "trans fats": what are these substances, what are their properties and functions, how dangerous they can be to he alth. When choosing food, carefully study the packaging and better refuse to buy if you find ingredients that are incomprehensible to you. Nutritional literacy will allow you to visit the doctor much less frequently. Stay he althy!