Will Trans Fat Substitutes be Any Healthier?

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) next big step is to remove artificial trans fat from food, many health advocates are uncertain if fat substitutes would be much healthier.

According to contributing editor Deidre Lockwood at the Chemical & Engineering News, a weekly news magazine of the American Chemical Society, they are investigating whether this potential change will make much difference with health alternatives.

Lockwood notes that back in the 1980s, out of concern over saturated fats, many food manufacturers switched brands from butter to margarine. While the later contains trans fat, it was not recognized as a threat to heart health at the time. Artificial trans fats are proliferated largely from partially hydrogenated oil and can be baked, fried and made with when turned into partially hydrogenated oil.

However, within the last few decades, researchers have been particularly aware of raising concerns regarding trans fat that can increase "bad" cholesterol and decrease the "good." Since 2006, food makers and restaurants have been turning to liquid vegetable and tropic oils as alternatives.

As Lockwood notes that trans fats can still be found in some processed foods, the FDA continues to slowly move away from the substance. And for the most part, alternatives replacing trans fat appear to be healthier. However, many processed foods still contain high amounts of salt and sugar that need to be taken into account when making healthy choices. In other words, we still have a long way to go. 

More information regarding the study can be found via the American Chemical Society.