Trans fats are found in a wide variety of foods, such as most foods made with partially hydrogenated oil, such as baked , fried and margarine products. Trans fats also occur naturally in some meat and dairy products.
Why we use trans fats?
This hydrogenation process fats and oils for frying, which are very useful for the food industry are obtained , since they help to improve the durability , taste and texture of the products like margarines, breads fat , muffins , cookies, cakes , bakery products, snacks , chips , fast food ......
The food industry uses these fats , because they are cheaper than other fats of animal origin . Products made with trans fats, require less cooling and can maintain their consistency at room temperature, which would not be possible if other types of fat such as lard were used.
In the case of margarine , the hydrogenation process of vegetable oils creates a product having the consistency, texture and appearance of the butter .
Some home treatments such as frying , may end up transforming fatty acids into trans fats, frying mal eventually oxidize and break down the oil . Therefore it is recommended to use olive oil, not exceed 180 ยบ C and not reuse the oil more than 3 or 4 times.
Effects of trans fats on health.
Recent studies showed that although these fats contain no cholesterol, are able to increase LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood and decrease HDL (good). The high level of blood cholesterol is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease , people with high cholesterol levels are more likely to develop these diseases .
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