Meanwhile, a growing body of medical evidence indicates that trans fats can clog arteries and lead to premature heart disease — just like saturated fats from meat and dairy products. As little as one gram of trans fat a day over a period of years can boost the risk of heart disease by as much as 20 per cent, said Bruce Holub, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Guelph. "One gram isn't very much — it would be like two crackers."
The Globe and Mail
October 28, 2003
Dangerous fats lurk in seemingly healthy snacks
Granola bars, microwave popcorn among foods found loaded with trans fatty acids
Paul Taylor
Mornings often seem like the most hectic part of the day for Maureen deBarra, as she rushes to get her three daughters off to school.
"There are a million things to do," the 39-year-old Toronto mother said. So, to save time, she has relied on a lot of prepackaged foods for her kids' lunches.
"In less than five minutes, I can make up three lunches because I just put everything on the counter and throw it in the bags." A typical lunch usually included a bagel or crackers, plus a juice box, a granola bar, a chocolate bar, chips or popcorn and a piece of fruit.
"It's just so easy," she said. What's more, Mrs. deBarra always thought that granola bars and popcorn were healthy snacks.
But, as it turns out, a lot of prepared foods — including granola bars, microwave popcorn, crackers and cookies — are loaded with unhealthy, artificially altered fats called trans fatty acids. Also known as hydrogenated vegetable oil, trans fats make pastries flaky and cookies fresh tasting — yet they can be extremely bad for your health.
The Globe and Mail and CTV News commissioned tests on various products and found them laden with these fats. (The results will be on CTV News tonight and in tomorrow's Globe.)
Trans fats are largely hidden. Food manufacturers won't have to disclose the amount in their products until new labelling rules take effect in January, 2006.
Meanwhile, a growing body of medical evidence indicates that trans fats can clog arteries and lead to premature heart disease — just like saturated fats from meat and dairy products.
As little as one gram of trans fat a day over a period of years can boost the risk of heart disease by as much as 20 per cent, said Bruce Holub, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Guelph. "One gram isn't very much — it would be like two crackers."
He noted that Canadians are among the biggest consumers of trans fats — ingesting, on average, 10 grams a day.
Trans fats are created by bubbling hydrogen gas through vegetable oil at high temperatures. The process changes the molecular structure of unsaturated liquid fats and transforms them into solid trans fatty acids. This is how a liquid oil is turned into a semi-hard spreadable margarine. Foods made with hydrogenated oil can sit on a store shelf for a long time.
Some of the most damning evidence against trans fats comes from a major U.S. study that tracked the health of about 100,000 female nurses for almost 20 years. By matching dietary data with those who developed heart disease, the researchers concluded that trans fats are twice as bad as saturated fat, once considered the leading dietary demon.
Trans fats boost blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the so-called "bad" cholesterol that can lay down fatty deposits in blood vessels. At the same time, they lower blood levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol that can clear away these unwanted deposits.
Saturated fats, by contrast, raise both the good and the bad cholesterol, noted Harvard's Walter Willett, head of the nurses' study. He says trans fats are worse than saturates because they can widen the gap between the good and bad cholesterol.
Trans fats could also contribute to Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting blood flow in the brain. When U.S. researchers reviewed dietary data from 815 seniors, they discovered that those who dined regularly on trans-rich foods and saturated fats were twice as likely to develop the memory-robbing condition than people who ate the least amount of these fats.
"The increase in the risk of Alzheimer's occurred with fairly low levels of trans fat intake — 2.3 grams a day," said Martha Clare Morris of Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago.
Another disturbing trend is the explosion in Type 2 diabetes. The single biggest risk factor for diabetes is being overweight, Dr. Willett noted. But the type of food consumed can also play a role — and trans fats may be displacing healthier foods that keep diabetes at bay.
However, what has some researchers really worried are the long-term consequences of a generation raised on trans fats. It's even getting into breast milk through mothers' diets.
"Unfortunately, one of the richest sources of trans in the Canadian food supply is mothers' milk," Prof. Holub said. On average, 7 per cent of the fat in breast milk is made up of trans — though, in some women, it has been measured to be as high as 17 per cent. As trans goes up in breast milk, the amount of other fats go down. One of those essential fats is alpha linolenic acid, which the body converts into DHA, essential for brain and eye development.
Sheila Innis, a professor at the University of British Columbia, has found that infants with low levels of DHA did not do as well on tests measuring visual acuity and early mental development as children with high levels of DHA.
Prof. Innis warns against drawing sweeping conclusions until further studies are done. Even so, consumers like Mrs. deBarra are growing increasingly alarmed by what they have been feeding their families.
"It makes you feel very, very guilty," she said, when shown the results of the Globe-CTV food tests. "I didn't realize it was as much junk as it is."
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Risks: Diabetes, Trans fatty acids, Canada, 20031028 Dangerous fats
