Are you reading your food labels?

If you have been following the news, you are aware that trans fats are being banned in restaurants and also in processed foods. That has left the food industry looking for a viable replacement. Well, it seems that they have found one. It is called interesterified fat. Unlike trans fats, they are not required to be listed in the food label. If it is listed, it is under the names of 'fully hydrogenated' or even 'interesterified fats'. Dr KC Hayes from Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, who has been studying fats for 35 years, stated in a Heartwire interview that interesterified fats are already on the market, being used primarily as a replacement for trans fats in margarines and baked goods.

Dr. Hayes did a study where he compared the effects of trans fats, interesterified fats, and saturated fats (specifically palm oil) on cholesterol levels - LDL/HDL ratios - and fasting blood sugars on 30 subjects for a period of 4 weeks. His findings, which were published in Nutrition & Metabolism 2007, 4:3 (15 January 2007), showed that interesterified fats raised fasting blood sugar and LDL/HDL ratios as much as trans fats do.

What this means to you is that it is extremely important to read the nutrition fact labels on the foods you buy and to avoid processed foods as much as possible. Fats that are not found in nature and are manufactured may damage your health by affecting your insulin metabolism and your lipid levels. High LDL/HDL ratios and high blood sugars have been associated with heart disease.

Source: Heartwire , a professional news service of WebMD, can be found at www.theheart.org, a Web site for cardiovascular healthcare professionals.