Trans Fats

One of the biggest dietary causes of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, and the like are trans fatty acids (short: trans fats). They are a problem of our time, where food is predominantly industrially produced: The manufacturing process must be cheap and the end product must have a long shelf life.

Trans fats are primarily found in processed foods such as pastries, fries, chips, and similar items, ready-made soups, fast food, in solid (hardened) frying fat, but also in so-called breakfast cereals that have little in common with traditional muesli. Even the supposedly healthy nuts can contain trans fats if they have been roasted with hardened or partially hardened fats.

However, trans fatty acids also occur in their natural form in the stomachs of ruminants and their products - that is, in meat, milk, cream, butter, and the like. Here, unsaturated fatty acids can be converted into trans fats. However, these are considered less concerning than the artificially hardened fats that are generally referred to as trans fats. The latter cannot be processed by the body and are considered more harmful than saturated fatty acids.

In addition to the industrial hardening of fats, trans fats are also formed when oils with a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids are heated strongly, fried, or sautéed. In this process, these otherwise harmless fatty acids can transform into hard-to-degrade trans fatty acids.

Trans fats particularly increase the proportion of LDL cholesterol in the blood and triglycerides. LDL cholesterol is often referred to as bad cholesterol. These blood fats accumulate more as plaques on the vessel walls. Thus, they promote the calcification of the vessels - arteriosclerosis. At the same time, the level of good HDL cholesterol decreases.

Trans fats can indeed be considered a turbo for arteriosclerosis, so massive is the harmful effect in the vessels.

In addition to these life-threatening consequences, it is also evident that people who consume a lot of processed food and thus many trans fats are more likely to suffer from depression.

The WHO updated its guidelines on fats in 2023. It particularly highlights the role of the quality of fats and the amount consumed and their effect on health. It recommends that adults cover a maximum of 30%, but preferably less, of their total energy intake from fats. From the age of two, these should primarily be unsaturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids should not make up more than 10% of total energy intake, and trans fats should not exceed 1%. For the latter, it is irrelevant from which source they come, whether industrially produced or from products derived from ruminants.

Unfortunately, trans fats are not subject to labeling requirements in Germany. Only dietary foods must provide this information. Therefore, it is difficult to recognize in which products how much of the dangerous fatty acids is contained. If the ingredient list of the product mentions hardened or partially hardened fats, one can assume that trans fats are present.

This can be avoided by cooking fresh and as plant-based as possible. This way, one can ensure to choose the appropriate fat or oil for the respective preparation method.

The smoke point of the oil is crucial. This is the temperature at which the fatty acids of the oil begin to oxidize and break down. As a result, the oil starts to smoke - and this must be avoided at all costs. Oil that has smoked should no longer be used. Healthy, mostly native or cold-pressed oils with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids have a low smoke point. They should only be used for cold preparations. Refined oils with monounsaturated fatty acids, which hardly break down even at high temperatures, are better suited. The same applies to saturated fatty acids, which are generally considered less healthy.

For high-temperature frying, oils with a high smoke point are suitable. In this case, especially refined, that is, hot-pressed oils can be used. Soybean and coconut oil as well as palm kernel fat are alternatives that are also suitable for high-temperature frying due to their natural composition of fatty acids. So-called high-oleic oils are obtained from special breeds of rapeseed, thistles, or sunflowers. They can also withstand relatively high temperatures well when cold-pressed.

Many people prefer butter for frying. However, since it is only heat-resistant up to about 175 degrees, it is recommended to use clarified butter instead. This has had milk protein, milk sugar, and water removed. This makes it more durable and can withstand temperatures up to 205 degrees.

Oil	Smoke point in ° C
Argan oil	180
Thistle oil	150
Peanut oil (refined = hot pressed)	230
Peanut oil (unrefined = cold pressed)	130
Palm kernel fat	220
Lard	121 - 218
Ghee	205
Butter	approx. 175
refined oils	> 200
Rapeseed oil (cold pressed)	130 - 190
Rapeseed oil (refined)	220
cold pressed olive oil	130 - 175
hot pressed olive oil (refined)	> 220
Hemp oil	120
Coconut oil	185 - 205
Flaxseed oil	-
Soybean oil	235
Sunflower oil (refined)	210 - 225
Sunflower oil (unrefined)	107
light unroasted sesame oil (unrefined)	220
dark roasted sesame oil (unrefined/pressed)	177
Grapeseed oil (refined)	200
Grapeseed oil (unrefined)	130
Walnut oil (unrefined)	160

Sources:

By Sabine Croci. This article is medically reviewed. Last updated (03/2024).
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Trans Fats

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