Why fake fats in snacks are bad for your heart and liver
Hidden Industrial Trans-Fatty Acids: Mechanistic Insights into Dyslipidemia, Cardiovascular Disease, and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some snacks and fried foods have fake fats made by chemists — these fake fats make your bad cholesterol go up, good cholesterol go down, and hurt your liver and heart. Natural fats from cows don’t do this as much.
Surprising Findings
rTFAs from dairy and meat may be neutral or even beneficial, while iTFAs are strongly harmful — despite both being chemically ‘trans fats’.
Most people assume all trans fats are equally bad. This study shows the source matters more than the chemical structure.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid products with ‘partially hydrogenated oils’ in the ingredients — even if the label says ‘0g trans fat.’
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some snacks and fried foods have fake fats made by chemists — these fake fats make your bad cholesterol go up, good cholesterol go down, and hurt your liver and heart. Natural fats from cows don’t do this as much.
Surprising Findings
rTFAs from dairy and meat may be neutral or even beneficial, while iTFAs are strongly harmful — despite both being chemically ‘trans fats’.
Most people assume all trans fats are equally bad. This study shows the source matters more than the chemical structure.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid products with ‘partially hydrogenated oils’ in the ingredients — even if the label says ‘0g trans fat.’
Publication
Journal
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Year
2025
Authors
Mona A Hegazy, Bojana B Vidović, Shimaa Abobakr, A. Zeljković, Aleksandra Stefanović, J. Vekić
Related Content
Claims (7)
Industrial hydrogenation of vegetable oils generates trans fatty acids, which are causally linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic dysfunction.
Even though many countries have banned artificial trans fats, you can still find them in baked goods, fried foods, and snacks in places where rules aren’t enforced or labeled clearly.
Eating foods with artificial trans fats raises the bad cholesterol and lowers the good cholesterol, making heart disease more likely.
Trans fats from dairy and meat don’t seem to harm cholesterol or cause inflammation like the ones made in factories — some might even be a little good for you.
Artificial trans fats make your body produce more inflammation and cell damage, which can lead to heart disease and other chronic illnesses.