THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE VERY BAD The fats we eat ... - The Straits Times€¦ · • Raises bad...
Transcript of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE VERY BAD The fats we eat ... - The Straits Times€¦ · • Raises bad...
What are trans fats and PHOs?
Source: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN OIL CHEMISTS’ SOCIETYSUNDAY TIMES GRAPHICS
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE VERY BADThe fats we eat can generally be divided into unsaturated fats, saturated fats and trans fats.
THE GOOD: UNSATURATED FAT• Considered healthy• Lowers bad cholesterol• Protects against cardiovascular diseases (CVD) like heart attack and stroke
Further divided into:Monounsaturated fatsOlive oil, avocados, nuts
Polyunsaturated fatsSun�ower oil, �sh (omega-3), �axseed
THE BAD: SATURATED FAT• Considered unhealthy• Raises bad cholesterol• Raises risk of CVD
Red meat, milk, cheese
H
HH
H
H
H
H
H
C C C C
H
H
H
H
C C
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
C C C C
H
HH
C C
H
H
H
H
C C
Liquid at room temperature
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
C C C C
H
CH
H
H
H
H
H
C C C
Solid at room temperature
THE VERY BAD:TRANS FAT• Considered very unhealthy• Raises bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol• Raises risk of CVD by 10 times more than saturated fat.
Small amount in meat and dairy but mostly from PHOs
Solid or semi-solid at room temperature
PHOs:INDUSTRIALLY CREATEDPartially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to vegetable oil to harden it.
Hydrogenation converts unsaturated fat into saturated fat but creates trans fat as part of the process. When the oil is fully hydrogenated, it contains little trans fat.
FAT LEVELSDURING HYDROGENATION
Amou
nt o
f fat
Nothydrogenated
Partiallyhydrogenated
Fullyhydrogenated
Saturatedfat
Unsaturatedfat
Trans fat
Pump
Hydrogenatedoil
Hydrogen gas added as pressurised bubbles at the base of the machine
Hydrogengas
Motor
Catalyst
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
C C C C
H
HH
C C
H
H
H
H
C C
Liquid at room temperature times more than saturated fat.
Small amount in meat and dairy but mostly from PHOs
Solid or semi-solid at room temperature
Partially hydrogenated oil (PHO) is used to keep foods like peanut butter and other fat spreads fresh for longer. It also helps to maintain a stable consistency by preventing the oil in peanut butter from separating. Manufacturers are increasingly replacing PHOs with fully hydrogenated oils or palm oil, which are high in saturated fats but low in trans fats. These healthier substitutes can offer similar functional bene�ts to PHOs.