HEALTH RISKS OF CONSUMING TRANS FATS

HEALTH RISKS OF CONSUMING trans FATS[1]

Trans fats formed during food processing are harmful to your health. Trans fats naturally formed in plant and animals are health promoting. The best example of that is CLA = conjugated linoleic acid. It is formed naturally by ruminant animals, and is a potent anti-carcinogen, anti-mutagen. Some adverse effects of consuming trans fatty acids reported in humans and animals are the following:

· Lowers the "good" HDL cholesterol in a dose response manner;

· Raises the LDL cholesterol in a dose response manner;

· Raises the atherogenic lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) in humans (whereas saturated fatty acids lower Lp(a));

· Raises total serum cholesterol levels 20-30 mg%;

· Lowers the amount of cream (volume) in breastmilk of all species studied (including humans), thus lowering the overall quality of the milk for the infant;

· Causes a dose response decrease in visual acuity in infants extending to 14 months (these were breastfed babies fed increasing amounts of trans fats -- more trans resulted in poorer vision.);

· Correlates with low birth weight in human infants;

· Increases blood insulin levels in humans in response to glucose load, increasing risk for diabetes;

· Affects immune response by lowering efficiency of B cell response and increasing proliferation of T cells;

· Decreases levels of testosterone in male animals, increases level of abnormal sperm, and interferes with gestation in females;

· Decreases the response of the red blood cell to insulin, thus having a potentially undesirable effect in diabetics;

· Inhibits the function of membrane-related enzymes such as the delta-6 desaturase, resulting in decreased conversion of, for example, linoleic acid to arachidonic acid;

· Causes adverse alterations in the activities of the important enzyme system that metabolizes chemical carcinogens and drugs (medications), i.e., the mixed function oxidase cytochromes P-448/450;

· Causes alterations in adipose cell size, cell number, lipid class and fatty acid composition;

· Adversely interacts with conversion of plant omega-3 fatty acids to elongated omega-3 tissue fatty acids;

· Escalates adverse effects of essential fatty acid deficiency;

· Increases peroxisomal activity (potentiates free-radical formation); and

· Precipitates childhood asthma.