Not all trans fats are bad — some might even help!
Plasma Industrial and Ruminant Trans Fatty Acids and Incident Type 2 Diabetes in the EPIC-Potsdam Cohort
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some trans fats from milk and meat might lower diabetes risk, while others might raise it — and the ones from fried foods don’t seem to matter much.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
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Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some trans fats from milk and meat might lower diabetes risk, while others might raise it — and the ones from fried foods don’t seem to matter much.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 559 / 72
Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Publication
Authors
Prada M, Wittenbecher C, Eichelmann F, Wernitz A, Kuxhaus O, Kröger J, Weikert C, Schulze MB
Related Content
Claims (7)
A fat called trans-palmitoleic acid was once thought to protect against diabetes, but when scientists accounted for other similar fats in dairy, the link disappeared — meaning the earlier belief was probably wrong.
A different type of fat found in dairy called c9t11-CLA is linked to a higher chance of getting type 2 diabetes, which is surprising because other dairy fats are usually thought to be harmless or even helpful.
Not all trans fats are the same — some dairy fats lower diabetes risk, one dairy fat raises it, and artificial trans fats don’t seem to matter at all. What matters most is the exact molecular shape, not whether it’s natural or artificial.
The artificial trans fats found in fried foods and margarine don’t seem to raise the risk of type 2 diabetes when looked at on their own, which surprises many people who think all trans fats are bad.
People with more of a specific fat found in dairy products like butter and cheese in their blood have a lower chance of getting type 2 diabetes, even after accounting for how much dairy they eat.