Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil

According to the Mayo Clinic, trans fats [ partially hydrogenated vegetable oils ] are harmful to your health. Food processors add hydrogen to polyunsaturated fat through a process called hydrogenation. Those oils become more solid than regular oil making them less likely to spoil. Using trans fats in the manufacturing of food helps that food stay fresh longer, provides a longer shelf life and a less greasy feel. Commercial baked goods and many fried foods may contain trans fats [ fats that have been transformed ] as can shortenings and margarine.

Sounds like a good thing doesn't it? But, there are consequences. Doctors worry about trans fat because of its unhealthy affect on two main levels of your cholesterol. Trans fat increases your level of LDL [bad ] cholesterol and decreases HDL [GOOD ] cholesterol which can have a major impact on heart health. Trans fat can cause atherosclerosis, increase triglycerides [ fat in the blood ] and cause inflammation by damaging the blood vessels in the cells.

We can practice due diligence by reading food labels. They will indicate if the food contains trans fat. But, beware, if the label indicates that the package contains 0 grams of trans fat, it can by law contain 0.5 grams of the nasty stuff. Though that is relatively small amount, if you eat multiple servings of food with 0.5 grams or less of trans fat, you could unwittingly consume unhealthy amounts.

If the label reads "fully" or "completely" hydrogenated oil, that oil does not contain trans fat. Unlike partially hydrogenated oil, the process to make fully or completely hydrogenated oil doesn't result in creating trans fatty acid. However, if the label reads just "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" vegetable oil, it could mean the oil contains some trans fat. Although small amounts of trans fat occur naturally in some meat and dairy products, its the trans fat in
processed food that is the most harmful.