What are saturated and trans fats?

Saturated fat occurs naturally in red meat and dairy products. It’s also found in baked goods and fried foods. Trans fat occurs naturally in small amounts in red meat and dairy products. Trans fat can also be manufactured by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil.

What are the health risks of eating too much saturated and trans fats?

Eating too much saturated fats in your diet can raise “bad” LDL cholesterol in your blood, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. “Good” HDL cholesterol has a positive effect by taking cholesterol from parts of the body where there’s too much of it to the liver, where it’s disposed of.

What are the risks of trans fats?

Trans fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol. They also lower your HDL (good) cholesterol. High LDL along with low HDL levels can cause cholesterol to build up in your arteries (blood vessels). This increases your risk for heart disease and stroke.

Why are trans fats so bad for our health How does eating them affect our health?

Eating foods rich in trans fats increases the amount of harmful LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream and reduces the amount of beneficial HDL cholesterol. Trans fats create inflammation, which is linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.

Why are trans fats worse than saturated fats?

“Trans fats raise (bad) LDL cholesterol levels slightly less than do saturated fats,” says Lichtenstein. “But saturated fats also raise levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol, and trans fatty acids don’t.” Trans fats may actually lower HDL. Thus, some researchers say trans fats are worse.

Is saturated fat or trans fat bad?

New research has revealed that fats are more on a continuum of good to bad than previously thought. While trans fats are harmful to your health, saturated fats are not currently linked with increased heart disease risk. However, they likely aren’t as healthy as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can be.

Are saturated fats really bad for you?

Your body needs healthy fats for energy and other functions. But too much saturated fat can cause cholesterol to build up in your arteries (blood vessels). Saturated fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol. High LDL cholesterol increases your risk for heart disease and stroke.

Which fat is bad for health?

The ‘Bad’ Fats in Your Diet There are two types of fat that should be eaten sparingly: saturated and trans fatty acids. Both can raise cholesterol levels, clog arteries, and increase the risk for heart disease.

Which fats are good and bad?

Choose foods with “good” unsaturated fats, limit foods high in saturated fat, and avoid “bad” trans fat. “Good” unsaturated fats — Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — lower disease risk. Foods high in good fats include vegetable oils (such as olive, canola, sunflower, soy, and corn), nuts, seeds, and fish.

What is the difference between saturated and trans fat?

Saturated fats are fats that have no double bonds between the carbons in the fatty acid chains; they are “saturated” by hydrogen atoms instead. Trans fats are polyunsaturated fats that have been modified by hydrogenation to stay solid at room temperature.

What foods are low in trans fat?

Trans fat is naturally found in small amounts in some animal products such as meat, whole milk, and milk products. Check the food label to find out if trans fat is in your food choices. Trans fat can often be found in many cakes, cookies, crackers, icings, margarines, and microwave popcorn.

Which is worse saturated or trans fat?

Although both saturated and trans fats are unhealthy fats, some doctors consider trans fats to be worse than sat fats. They affect the body in different ways. Saturated fats increase the good cholesterol levels (high-density lipoproteins or HDLs) in your body while trans fats lower good cholesterol.