The scoop on trans fats Dietitian and author Rosie Schwartz takes an in-depth look at trans-fatty acids in the foods you eat. Rosie Schwartz Citizen Special January 11, 2004 Despite research pointing to the possible harmful effects of trans fats, the food industry continues to release products loaded with them. CREDIT: Jean Levac, The Ottawa Citizen First in a three-part series. Canadians are getting the message that it's time for an oil change. Media reports on trans-fatty acids and their potential damaging effect on health have been coming at a furious pace over the past few months. And while many people are just becoming aware of the issue, one thing is clear: trans fats are finally getting the attention they deserve. Even as scientific research in recent years has increasingly pointed to the possible harmful effects of consuming these fats, the food industry has unleashed a growing assortment of products loaded with trans fats. You can find trans fats in everything from baked goods and fried food to cheese puffs, chips, regular microwave popcorn, and prepared foods such as breaded fish, chicken nuggets and hash brown potatoes. This three-part series will begin by looking at what are trans-fatty acids, and where you might find them in the grocery store or restaurant. Part two will help you navigate through supermarket shelves and restaurant menus to select trans-free alternatives and your best choices when cooking and baking. Finally, the series will look at kids' nutrition, including their trans-laden choices and the potential effect on their future health. First, a few basics on trans fats. Most of the trans fats found in food are formed when hydrogen is bubbled through liquid oils in a process called hydrogenation. While ordinary folk may wonder why anyone would go to the trouble, industry finds it useful because hydrogenation transforms edible oils into hard margarine and shortening, for example. In addition to making the oil more solid, hydrogenation also extends the shelf life of oil. This makes it an appealing choice for manufacturers of packaged goods like cookies, chips and breaded fried foods. The fast food industry has embraced hydrogenated oils because they're more stable than liquid oils when subjected to high temperatures used in commercial deep-fat frying. But what's the potential health cost of our trans-laden eating style? According to accumulating research, the harmful effects of trans fats may be more far-reaching than previously thought. Hundreds of studies have looked at trans fats and their impact on blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and stroke, and the news isn't good. Like saturated fat (the kind mainly found in dairy products and meat and poultry), trans fat has been shown to boost levels of the artery-clogging LDL-cholesterol or "bad" cholesterol. And to make matters worse, trans fat also lowers the amount of the protective HDL-cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) in the blood -- a double whammy that makes foods high in trans much more of a threat to heart health than those previously avoided by the cholesterol-conscious. Other studies have linked trans fats to a higher risk of diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, but much of this research is still in early stages. A study from the Harvard School of Public Health recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition may shed some light onto the diabetes-trans connection. Scientists examined the waist measurements and lifestyle factors in almost 17,000 men over a nine-year period and found that consuming foods rich in trans fats was linked to bigger waist measures. Other types of fat did not seem to have the same effect. It may be time to replace the term "beer belly" with "trans belly." Increasing waistlines and the accompanying abdominal fat are now known to be a major risk factor for various ills including diabetes, heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure and certain cancers such as prostate, breast and colon cancer. Going for trans-fat-free foods may not just be heart smart, it may also be a wise waist management strategy. While the Harvard study may be groundbreaking, the evidence showing trans fats to be a culprit in the development of artery disease is anything but new. The butter versus margarine debates of a decade ago were all about the adverse effects of these fats. Studies had shown that hard margarines were no more heart healthy than butter, which people were avoiding because of cholesterol. The backlash initially left all margarines with a bad reputation, even though some that contained no hydrogenated oil had no trans fats at all. But even though the media carried reports of the research, way back in the mid-1990s trans fats were quietly invading the food supply with very little attention. So much so, that Canadians have become one of the world leaders in trans fat consumption -- often unknowingly as these fats are hidden and have not been previously disclosed. Few food labels will actually tell you the product contains trans fats; they will, however, say if a product contains shortening, hydrogenated oil or partially hydrogenated oil. And therein lies the trans fat. Why all the fuss now? It all began when a non-profit group, BanTransFats.com Inc., filed a lawsuit asking a court in California to order Kraft/Nabisco to cease and desist from target marketing and selling Oreo cookies to children in California until the cookies contained no trans fat. Within two weeks of the lawsuit and after massive media coverage, Kraft announced that it was looking at reformulating the cookie recipe and would reduce or eliminate trans fat in the Oreo. The California group was looking for a domino effect and that's certainly what it achieved. Following media coverage in Britain about the Oreo lawsuit in the U.S., it was announced that recipes for Mars Bars and Snickers in Britain had been changed to remove the trans fat because of health concerns. In Canada, a major cookie manufacturer, Voortman, also moved toward eliminating the trans in its products. The war on trans was on. Tasty, wholesome products can be made without trans fats, but it will only happen with the kind of uproar and consumer concern that we have recently been witnessing. After all, consumers will ultimately determine what's on store shelves. Marketing departments may work hard at selling convenience products to a hungry public, but an informed one can demand both convenience and nutrition in one package. And with new nutrition labelling laws in Canada that will require disclosure of trans-fat content in a product, food manufacturers have even more incentive to bring trans-free products to the marketplace. But it will take a few years for widespread labelling to take effect. In the meantime, it's buyer beware.