Last week, when the health commissioner of New York city asked restaurants to stop using trans fats, the request rekindled a debate about just how bad the widely used (pies, cookies, doughnuts) and (almost always) chemically-processed fats really are. Much research has showns that trans fat raises levels of LDL cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease. The New York Times, which reports on the discussion, quotes Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public
Interest, saying "The
evidence really indicates that there is nothing worse." But the Times also tells us that The National Academy of Sciences, the Department of Health and Human
Services, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and the Food and
Drug Administration are reluctant to pronounce trans fats
any more unhealthful than saturated fats, like butter or lard. And Americans eat four times as much saturated fat as they do trans fat. What then, is a poor pastry lover to do? Geezer will stick butter. It’s the devil he knows and loves. And we can all read the FDA Fact Sheet on trans fats.
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Saturday, May 31, 2025
was trans fat created only for the purpose of extending shelf life, or was there another (less commercial) reason for pumping hydrogen into fat? I am involved in a healthy eating, healthy living group for women and we had this discussion last evening. I will look forward to your answer. thank you
why was trans fats created in the first place. i know of the longer shelf life reason. is there another?
It’s wonderful that you are getting ideas from this post as well as from our argument made
here.