Not all trans fats are the same
Trans Fatty Acids Induce Vascular Inflammation and Reduce Vascular Nitric Oxide Production in Endothelial Cells
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Transvaccenic acid, despite being a trans fat, had no negative effect on endothelial function — even at the same dose as harmful industrial trans fats.
For decades, all trans fats were lumped together as equally dangerous. This study proves that natural trans fats behave completely differently — contradicting blanket bans and dietary guidelines.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid foods with 'partially hydrogenated oils' on the label — these contain elaidic and linoelaidic acids. Choose butter or grass-fed meat over fried snacks.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Transvaccenic acid, despite being a trans fat, had no negative effect on endothelial function — even at the same dose as harmful industrial trans fats.
For decades, all trans fats were lumped together as equally dangerous. This study proves that natural trans fats behave completely differently — contradicting blanket bans and dietary guidelines.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid foods with 'partially hydrogenated oils' on the label — these contain elaidic and linoelaidic acids. Choose butter or grass-fed meat over fried snacks.
Publication
Journal
PLoS ONE
Year
2011
Authors
Naomi Iwata, Matilda Pham, Norma O. Rizzo, Andrew M. Cheng, E. Maloney, F. Kim
Related Content
Claims (6)
Industrial hydrogenation of vegetable oils generates trans fatty acids, which are causally linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic dysfunction.
Two types of artificial trans fats found in fried and baked foods make blood vessel cells more inflamed and less able to produce a chemical that helps blood vessels relax, but a different trans fat found in dairy doesn’t do this.
These two harmful trans fats cause blood vessel cells to produce excess harmful oxygen molecules, which then trigger inflammation and block the production of a key chemical that keeps blood vessels healthy.
A type of trans fat found naturally in dairy and meat doesn’t harm blood vessel cells in the lab, even though it looks similar to the harmful ones in fried foods.
Where the ‘kink’ is in the fat molecule decides whether it harms blood vessels — a kink at position 9 or 9+12 is bad, but at position 11 is harmless.