Interesterified Fat, the new Trans Fat? « Health Now, Wealth Forever

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By Felicia, on February 22nd, 2013

There are so many fats to keep track of and now in response to the outcry against Trans fat, the food industry has developed Interesterified Fat.

Without getting too scientific (because the science on this makes my head hurt), interesterified fat is a fat created by interesterification of fat molecules.  Basically, “A semi-soft fat created by chemically blending fully hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated oils.” (1)  When the public realized that trans fat was causing us to have higher levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of good cholesterol (HDL), the processed food industry’s response was to “create” a new shelf stable fat, interesterified fat.  Problem is, this fat is worse.

A study:

The Malaysian-Brandeis collaboration compared trans-rich and interesterified fats with an unmodified saturated fat, palm olein, for their relative impact on blood lipids and plasma glucose. Thirty human volunteers participated in the study, which strictly controlled total fat and fatty acid composition in the subjects’ diet. Each subject consumed all three diets in random rotation during four-week diet periods. This study further confirmed previous studies in animals and humans, indicating once again that trans fats negatively affect LDL and HDL cholesterol. Surprisingly, the interesterified fat had a similar, though weaker impact on cholesterol.

“In this study we discovered that trans fat also has a weak negative influence on blood glucose. The newer replacement for trans, so-called interesterified fat, appears even worse in that regard, raising glucose 20 percent in a month.” (2)

The processed food industry takes the “trans fat” off the label and then replaces it with a similar if not worse fat?  Wow! As usual, it comes down to greed versus health.  Interesterified fat can be found in margarine, canned soups, frozen dinners, pies and pastries that are not made fresh.  Again, I urge you to buy local, to be aware of the labels and to avoid processed food as much as you can.

Sources and resources:

(1)http://health.yahoo.net/experts/menshealth/12-scariest-things-your-food#.URg3ljR45_A.facebook

(2)http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070116131545.htm

http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/4/1/3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interesterified_fat

http://www.healthnowwealthforever.com/health/what-kind-of-fat/