Worse than Trans Fats?

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See this link, for example:

Fully Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils

And compare with this:

A Substitute for Transfats?

the end of the second link pretty much sums it up..

Here's the problem. We have no idea what the long-term health consequences will be of long-term use of interesterified fats. It took 30 years to figure out that transfats were not healthy, and it is likely to take just as long with interesterified fats - or any other fat we can invent that does not exist in nature. A recent study out of Malaysia and Brandeis University appears to show that interesterified fats can worsen LDL and HDL levels, and increase blood glucose levels. So perhaps these new substances are not the final answer. But any new species of man-made fat will have the same generic problem - we won't know for decades what the true health impact will be, even though we need to decide today whether to manufacture, sell and consume them. The fact is, if we're going to eat processed, long-shelf-life fat-containing foods at all, we need to use either saturated fats - or transfats, interesterified fats, or some other variety of man-made stuff. The safest thing to do, obviously, is to eat only fresh, non-processed foods for the next 20 - 30 years until the science sorts itself out. Another approach, less safe but possibly more practical, is to limit our intake of processed foods to reasonable levels, and increase our intake of fresh foods as much as we can.

The article I mentioned last summer in my first post listed what "ingredients" to watch for, and "fully hydrogenated oils" was one of them.

What is Interesterified Fat?
When scientific studies exposed the inherent dangers to public health in trans fats, many processed food manufacturers scrambled to find a suitable replacement. They needed to find a form of fat which would still provide the extended shelf life of partially-hydrogenated oils, but did not contain trans fatty acids. One solution arrived in the form of interesterified fat, a fully hydrogenated product with many of the same characteristics as trans fat, but closer to saturated fat chemically. Interesterified fat is produced through a process called interesterification, which rearranges the molecular structure of fatty plant oils.
 
I believe there will always be something new to worry about. After having had cancer twice, I have decided that along with taking my nutrition seriously, I'm going to enjoy myself. That means I'm going to eat anything and everything in moderation. I refuse to live my life in fear of the unknown. Like I said, I take nutrition seriously but what kind of life do you have if you are constantly worried. Enjoy!!!

That--is the way to go Katy----, everything in moderation and know your limits.

Beth---- if you are going to read and heed all this stuff you are going to worry yourself into the grave. By all means take heed but do not take what they say as gospel, we are all made differently and our health is effected by different things. So I reckon everything in moderation and enjoy what we have, you will soon feel what you can and can't do.
 
That--is the way to go Katy----, everything in moderation and know your limits.

Beth---- if you are going to read and heed all this stuff you are going to worry yourself into the grave. By all means take heed but do not take what they say as gospel, we are all made differently and our health is effected by different things. So I reckon everything in moderation and enjoy what we have, you will soon feel what you can and can't do.
I agree with beth on this one. Agreeing to consume harmful products in the name of moderation is dangerous and naive. The food industry has and will resist change (ie trans fat) unless informed consumers chose to avoid their products.

Hydrogenating fat is bad for your health. It was once thought that DDT, tobacco and asbestos were fine, in moderation. Turns out they were wrong. I don't worry about what passes my lips, but I am certainly aware and I try diligently to consciously chose what passes my lips. And there is plenty I eschew, moderation or not.
 
The sole purpose of this thread was to make people aware.

We can not make good choices regarding the foods we eat, unless we understand what is in those foods. The food industry has created a new ingredient that may pose health concerns for people with heart disease and diabetes.

Thank you to all who have read this thread, and especially to those who took the time to respond.

Now I am off to FLorida to help my uncle celebrate his 90th birthday. He still lives on his own, drives daily, and volunteers, delivering meals to "old folks" through Meal on Wheels!
 
That means I'm going to eat anything and everything in moderation. I refuse to live my life in fear of the unknown.

Amen, on that! I've lost 69 lbs in the last 18 months primarily by getting off the madness of the low-fat, low-cal, low-sodium fake food bandwagon and focusing on cooking satisfying meals. I no longer have the blood-sugar spike/crash cycle that drove me to between-meal snacking and my body recognizes when I've eaten enough much sooner, leading to smaller meals naturally. My blood pressure is down and cholesterol levels normal again.
 
I agree with beth on this one. Agreeing to consume harmful products in the name of moderation is dangerous and naive. The food industry has and will resist change (ie trans fat) unless informed consumers chose to avoid their products.

Hydrogenating fat is bad for your health. It was once thought that DDT, tobacco and asbestos were fine, in moderation. Turns out they were wrong. I don't worry about what passes my lips, but I am certainly aware and I try diligently to consciously chose what passes my lips. And there is plenty I eschew, moderation or not.


I'm not consuming a known harmful product, in moderation or otherwise. From the reading I've done there is no agreement on whether these and any other new manufactured fat is dangerous or not. Personally, I believe it's naive to believe any of the studies that come out about new products because someone is usually paying for those studies to imply danger one way or the other. I have survived 2 rounds of colon cancer in 2 years eating a healthy diet according to my doctor and my dietician/nutritionist. I have been told (by mt oncologist) that this was not a result of any of my eating habits, and I don't smoke. I'm sure that you didn't mean to imply that I am naive, but frankly, I take offense. Just because someone disagrees with you is no reason to accuse them of being uninformed. I can assure you with regards to my diet and my health, I am informed and I would suggest that everyone follow the advice of their doctor. Ans btw, I mean no offense, just hit a nerve with this post.
 
you didn't mean to imply that I am naive, but frankly, I take offense. Just because someone disagrees with you is no reason to accuse them of being uninformed.
I can see why that would touch a nerve. I didn't intend my comments to be specific to you or any other individual, but to the general public who, as a majority, I believe is under informed and about the food they ingest and that it is dangerous for everyone to give the food processing industry a free pass.
 
vyapti, that was a nice thing to explain. :)
The written word (email, posts, etc), it's easy to be misunderstood and it's often difficult to figure out the intent and tone. I always try (because I use the written word so much at work) to try to come to an understanding by paraphrasing what the other person said, so they know I understand them, and them give extra chances 'REDO' or a 'mulligan' for when things are misunderstood.

I make most things from scratch, even though scratch is expensive, in the long run, my health is more important. That way,the food is more densely nutritious.
I make my own peanut butter, buy peanuts when they are on sale in big containers and freeze them until I need them, then grind them in the food processor. ( no added sugars, salt, high fructose corn syrup or oils)

Beth--I think it's neat you raise so much of your food. I have a garden, but no animals (wish I did).
 
I haven't heard of this fat but it sounds pretty bad, I am going top try to avoid it all costs1
 
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