Catalyz Nutrition

Many of you know that “trans fats” (called partially hydrogenated fats, on labels) are associated with immune dysfunction, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and more.   They’ve been banned in many industrialized nations, but not the U.S.    Can you take comfort in supermarket brands with “zero trans fats” loudly proclaimed on the label?    Unfortunately…no.   

According to labeling laws, if a serving of food has 0.5 grams of trans fats or less, that amount can be called “zero.”   But according to Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Harvard School of Public Health, servings are frequently defined as far less than the typical person eats.   So a normal serving of a butter-like spread or crackers is likely to actually contain several servings’ worth of trans fats.    

Many authorities agree that the most dangerous effects of trans fats kick in when one ingests over 2 grams of trans fats per day.   If you’re still eating processed foods, it is very easy to cross the 2 grams/ day threshold quickly, despite the fact you only buy “zero trans fats” products.   

So be sure you’re eating real butter.    And minimize packaged, processed foods containing vegetable oils (which can develop trans fat content when processed) or with the word “hydrogenated” anywhere on the label.   For more, read “Zero Trans Fat Doesn’t Always Mean None” at MSNBC.