Trans Fats - Only Recently Denounced?

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Created on 01, June, 2007

A news article states that until recently trans fat was considered a healthier alternative to saturated fats.

Just because margarine companies were promoting their products (made with trans fat) for decades as “healthier” than butter does not mean it was true. In fact, many nutrition scientists knew at least by the early 80s that trans fatty acids behave like saturates, and by the early 90s that they raise LDL cholesterol and probably lower HDL (“good cholesterol”), making them worse than most saturated fats. Note that there are no nutrient content claims permitted for trans fat per FDA, so “trans fat free” is not allowed on foods or in their advertising (Fed. Register July 11, 2003), but “0 g trans fat” and “no trans fat” are OK, because they are considered merely quantitative statements, although anything containing less than 0.5 g trans fat per (often unrealistically small) serving qualifies as “0.”