Trans fats continue to receive a lot of media attention. If you have diabetes, trans fats are even more hazardous to your health. After all, the presence of diabetes alone doubles to quadruples your risk for heart disease. Furthermore, having diabetes means that your risk for a heart attack is nearly the same as a person who has already had one.
So, what are the real hazards of trans fats? Besides directly increasing your body’s production of LDL, or “lousy” cholesterol, trans fats also:
- Lower levels of protective “healthy” HDL cholesterol
- Raise triglycerides, a blood fat commonly elevated in people with diabetes
- Increase levels of fibrinogen, a compound that increases the risk for blood clots
- Raise levels of Lipoprotein (a), a factor that can triple heart disease risk when high levels are present
- Are associated with increasing a marker of inflammation, C-reactive protein
All six of these factors are strikes against your heart health and certainly are not worth the added risk when you realize that cardiovascular disease is the most common complication of diabetes.
How to identify foods with trans fats
Trans fats are formed when liquid oils are changed into a solid fat though a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenated oils were created by food manufacturers decades ago to extend shelf life and improve the texture and flavor of processed foods. One easy way to steer clear of trans fats is to realize that they are only found in processed or packaged items. These fats are never found in natural, unprocessed plant foods.
Trans fats are typically found in fried foods, snack products and pastries. Common sources include french fries, frozen breaded items, microwave popcorn, crackers, chips, cookies, donuts, pies, cakes, shortening, or stick margarines. Small amounts of trans fat occur naturally in high-fat dairy and beef products as well.
Although food labels should list trans fat content, some products are not yet clearly showing this information on the label. In this case, foods with trans fat can be identified by looking for the words “partially hydrogenated” in the ingredient list. It is helpful to know that foods with less than 1/2 gram of trans fat are allowed to be labeled as trans fat free.
How much is too much?
According to the National Institute of Medicine, there are no safe levels of trans fats. The average adult American ingests nearly 6 grams of trans fat per day according to The Food and Drug Administration. Current recommendations by The American Heart Association recommend Americans limit their intake of saturated plus trans fats to no more than 10% of daily calories. Since a majority of people with diabetes already have high blood fats or face a higher risk of heart disease, it may be more advisable to limit saturated plus trans fats to no more than 7% of calories.
It is clear that minimizing or eliminating trans fats can positively impact your heart health and substantially reduce your risk for future problems, especially if you have diabetes. Begin ensuring your heart health by grabbing and reading those labels and becoming trans fat savvy.
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