Hydrogenated Oils Increase Health Risks!

Are you interested in taking a portion of your time to learn about something that can help you make a change in your diet to improve your health? I have recommended to my friends and family for several years to not use partially hydrogenated oil and of course I stay away from it myself! Finally I have taken the time to write about the reason why.

It is almost everywhere in processed foods at the grocery store. If you read the packaging on your food, you will find it is in the majority of the flour tortillas, breads, cake, cookies, cereals, French fries, snacks and chips, frozen pizza, margarine and more.

What is hydrogenated oil?

Hydrogenation is the process of heating an oil and passing hydrogen bubbles through it. The fatty acids in the oil then acquire some of the hydrogen, which makes it more dense. If you fully hydrogenate an oil, then you create a solid (a fat) out of the oil. But if you stop part way, you have a semi-solid oil, or partially hydrogenated oil. Partially hydrogenated oil has a consistency similar to butter, except it is lot cheaper to produce!

The producers of food typically use partially hydrogenated oil since it is cheap and has the consistency of butter, plus it is an inexpensive way to give their products a richer flavor and texture. It also gives products a longer shelf life, which in the long run shortens your life!

Here is the problem:

Unlike butter or virgin coconut oil, hydrogenated oils contain high levels of trans fats. A trans fat is an otherwise normal fatty acid that has been radically changed by high heat. Hydrogenated oils are fats that have the same capacity to do harm as saturated fats. During hydrogenation, the unsaturated fat becomes more saturated. The more solid and hydrogenated the fat, the more trans fatty acids there are in the product.

Researchers have found that trans fatty acids significantly raise LDL cholesterol levels, the bad cholesterol, while lowering the HDL levels, the good cholesterol. In the Framingham Heart Study (a 40 year study covering 5,209 individuals living in Massachusetts) high LDL cholesterol levels combined with low HDL levels was indicative of coronary heart disease risk.

Many studies have also shown that trans fatty acid is to be associated with artery damage, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and some cancers.

Also, here is an important note:

The department of nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health says “trans fat from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is a toxic substance that does not belong in food.”

So this is why I have kept away from hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils for so many years and this should help you decide whether or not you will too! It may take a little getting used to looking at labels and you might get a little frustrated at first since it is in so many processed foods. After a while it will get easier and you will recognize which food products have it before you even pick it up to read about it.