New Delhi. Trans fats are bad for the heart said Dr K K Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India. Though small amounts of Trans fat occur naturally, most trans fat is artificially produced when vegetable oil is partially hydrogenated. Partial hydrogenation results in fats that are easier to cook with and spoil less easily than naturally occurring oils. They make the food tastier and increases its shelf life.

Trans fat promotes heart disease by elevating LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, in blood. They go further by lowering one’s HDL—the good cholesterol that actually helps prevent heart disease.

Consumption of saturated fats raises the LDL cholesterol concentration, but does not lower HDL. Thus, while saturated fats adversely affect the lipid profile, they may not be as harmful as trans fatty acids.

Trans fatty acids may also interfere with the desaturation and elongation of n-3 (omega-3) fatty acids. These are important for the prevention of heart disease and complications of pregnancy.

In an analysis from the Nurses' Health Study, for each increase of 2 percent of energy from trans fat, the relative risk for incident coronary heart disease was 1.93. There are no known physiologic benefits related to the consumption of trans fatty acids; thus, reduction in their intake makes sense.

Trans fatty acids are a major component of many commercial baked goods, such as cookies and cakes, and most deep-fried foods. As per American Heart Association one should consume no more than 2 grams of trans fat per day, which is about as much as someone would get from naturally occurring trans fat.

The US regulation allows trans fat levels of less than 0.5 grams per serving to be labeled as 0 grams per serving. The best diet is characterized by low amounts of both saturated and trans fatty acids.