Are trans-fat worse than Saturated Fat?

It is always a topic of debate which fat to be used for cooking. Though, it is never recommended to avoid fat from your diet as they provide us with daily energy requirements and some fats also help in maintaining our cholesterol levels and also essential for some vitamins to get dissolved.

Which fats are good for the body and which should be avoided?

Saturated fats are the ones which increase our total blood cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels which further increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. They are majorly provided by animal-based products like poultry, dairy products, etc. They also increase the chances of type 2 diabetes. Trans- fats are the ones which lower the healthy high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol and also increases the unhealthy low-density lipoproteins cholesterol. They are basically produced by partial hydrogenation of oils and occur naturally in some foods in little amount like in margarine, vegetable shortenings, few hydrogenated vegetable oils, etc. Indeed, among trans-fat and saturated fats it is better to minimize the intake of saturated fats and try to avoid the trans-fat. Though it is wiser to select healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats for consumption. Trans-fat is suggested to be avoided because they lead to diabetes, heart-related complications, cancer, etc.

Be careful while using and selecting oils:

• When the refined oils are reused several times for cooking then they start producing trans-fats and are carcinogenic in nature. Therefore it is preferred to replace the 70% of oil with a fresh one.
• There are also many food products available in the market which claims to have 0% trans-fat but it is hidden in the form of hydrogenated fats, though only 0.5 gram is used, it is never mentioned. Therefore it is an advice for consumers to always read the label of products before buying it.
• A person also must look after which fat is present in their diet and in what amount as saturated fats must also be taken in limit.
• The first step towards a healthy diet is gaining knowledge and then implementing it also. It is well said that a person with a complete knowledge can reach the milestone, therefore, educate yourself and achieve a healthy lifestyle.