[Read part 1 HERE and part 2 HERE]

Partially hydrogenated oils are even worse for you than the refined vegetable oils they are made from, because the nickel catalyst, under high heat, causes the hydrogen atoms to change their position on the fatty acid chain.

Before hydrogenation, pairs of hydrogen atoms on the fatty acid chain are on the same side; this is a called a double bond. This double bond causes the chain to bend slightly and electrons are consentrated there. This is called the cis formation, and it's the configuration most commonly found in nature.

But during the hydrogenation process, one of the pairs of hydrogen atoms is moved to the other side of the chain so that the molecule straightens out. This is called the trans formation and it is rarely found in nature. Most of these man-made fats are toxic to the body, but your digestive system doesn't recognize them as a toxin and tries to use them like it would a natural fat.

It uses them in cell membranes, instead of naturally saturated fatty acids, and your cells actually become partially hydrogenated!

Once placed in your cell wall, trans fatty acids, with their reversed hydrogen atoms, wreak havoc on cell metabolism. The reason is that the needed chemical reactions can only take place when electrons in the cell membranes are in certain arrangements or patterns --which the trans fats have altered.

Also, cell integrety is compromized because trans fats are stiffer than saturated fatty acids and the cells become too stiff to function normally in the body. Think in terms of hardening arteries, high blood pressure, neurological disease (1/3 of your brain is made up of saturated fats -which trans fats replace), heart disease, liver disfunction, and cancer.

In the 1940's, researchers found a strong correlation between cancer and the consumption of fat. What were the fats they used in this study? They were hydrogenated fats. But hydrogentated fats were, until recently, catagorized as "saturated fat" in studies, so the results were presented as though natural saturated fats were the culprit. You find out exactly what kinds of fats were used, in order to find the truth in any study on "saturated fat".

Partially hydrogenated fats also interfere with your bodies ability to use essential fatty acids, causing a deficiency in these vital nutrients. This can cause many health problems, including hormonal and s*xual problems, increased blood cholesterol, and a seriuosly compromised immune system.

Lipase enzymes perform some essential roles in digestion and absorbtion of dietary fats. But human lipase enzyme doesn't work on the molecular configuration found in trans fats. So trans fats remain in the blood stream for a much longer period of time and is more prone to form arterial plaque. How trans fats contribute to coronary heart disease is fairly well understood, but the mechanism for trans fat's effect on diabetes is still being studied.

Trans fats have been associated with a host of serious diseases, like cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, immune system dysfunction, low-birth-weight babies, birth defects, decreased visual acuity, sterility, lactation problems, and problems with bones and tendons. Yet the continued popularity of partially hydrogenated margarine over butter speaks to the power of the advertizers over common sense. Your best defense is to avoid it like the plague.

An added warning…. Don't trust the "0 Trans Fats" label. The FDA says that 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving (and who eats just one serving anyway) is the same as none. So you have to check the ingredient list for hydrogenated oils.

WR

[Read part 1 HERE]

Trans fats are found in partially hydrogenated oils, but how are they made?

In the old days, oils were extracted from the fruit, seed, or nuts that contain them, with slow-moving, heavy, stone presses that generated very little, if any, heat. But today, it's done by first crushing the seeds and then heating them to 230 degrees to get the oil flowing before squeezing the crushed, hot, seeds at 10 to 20 tons of pressure per inch --this generates even higher temperatures.

All this heat and pressure causes the weak carbon bonds of unsaturated fatty acids, especially triple unsaturated linolenic acid (an omega 3), to break down and create free radicals. Not only that, but antioxidants (like vitamin E), that are supposed to defend the body against these free radicals, are destroyed by the high heat and pressure.

Throughout the process, the oils are exposed to damaging light and oxygen. The combination of all these things almost guarantee the oils will be rancid. But don't worry, you'll never be able to tell by the time they're through processing it.

We're not done yet. In order to get every last drop of oil from the crushed seeds, processors take the pulp and add one of a number of solvents — usually hexane, a known carcinogen, but there are other equally nasty choices. Solvents also act on the pesticides that are on the seeds, causing them to dissolve off the seeds and into the oil.

These solvents are not, themselves, suitable for human consumption so they have to try to remove them. They do this by boiling the oil (more heat) to get the solvents to evaporate. Up to 100 parts per million remain in the oil.

Next BHT and BHA, both suspected of causing cancer and brain damage, are often added to these oils to replace the natural preservatives (like vitamin E) that were destroyed.

Up 'til now, I've just been telling you how the liquid vegetable oils (corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, etc.) on the grocery store shelves are produced. But you needed to know this before we moved on to hydrogenation.

Hydrogenation is the process that turns polyunsaturated oils which are normally liquid at room temperature, into an oil that is solid at room temperature, like margarine and shortening.

Manufacturers start with the cheapest oils (that would be soy, corn, cottonseed or canola, which are already rancid from the extraction process described above) and they add tiny metal particles --usually nickel oxide. The oil with the nickel in it is then subjected to hydrogen gas in a high-pressure, high-temperature reactor. I don't really know how the nickle oxide is removed from the hardened oil. (If anyone has info on this, please let me know.)

Soap-like emulsifiers and starch are also squeezed into the mixture to give it a better consistency. Then, again, under high heat and pressure, the oil is steam-cleaned. The steam cleaning may be how the nickle is removed, but its main purpose is to deodorize the oil, which by this time has a very unpleasant oder and color.

For example, margarine's color at this point in the process, is grey. This color is removed by bleach and then dyes and strong flavorings are added to make it resemble butter. Finally, the mixture is compressed and packaged in blocks or tubs and sold as a "healthy" alternative to butter.

[Read part 3 HERE]

WR

Take a peek at Jenny's post at Nourished Kitchen...
Health News: Trans Fats & Colon Cancer

Here are a few more examples of studies on the health effects of trans fats.

A major comprehensive study was published in April 2006 in the New England Journal of Medicine. It included the following: On a per-calorie basis, trans fats appear to increase the risk of coronary heart disease more than any other macronutrient, conferring a substantially increased risk, even at low levels of consumption (1 to 3 percent of total calories). A 2% increase in energy intake from trans fatty acids was associated with a 23% increase in the incidence of coronary heart disease.

In a cross-over diet trial, scientists took 29 healthy men and women and put some of them on a diet high in trans fat (in the form of partially hydrogenated soybean oil), and others on a diet high in saturated fat (in the form of palm kernel oil). After four weeks on their respective diets, the subjects were switched to the other diet. For each subject, the researchers took four measurements of artery dilation in the arm. They found that the ability of the blood vessels to dilate was 29 percent lower in people who ate the high trans fat diet compared to those on the saturated fat diet. Blood levels of HDL cholesterol (that's the good cholesterol)were 21 percent lower in the high trans fat group compared to the high saturated fat group. (A recent study indicates that keeping HDL cholesterol high may help to reduce the risk of clot-related stroke in elderly men. Click here for information.)

Click here for a study about the role of trans fats and systemic inflammation in heart failure.

In a study in Australia, scientists got dietary information and fat biopsy samples from 79 people who had just had their first heart attack. The researchers also got dietary information and biopsies from 167 people without heart problems. The researchers specifically questioned the participants about the type and amount of fat's they ate. The heart patients and healthy individuals were matched for age, gender, and socioeconomic background. Trans fats were found in significantly higher amounts in the fat tissue taken from the heart attack patients than in the fat tissue of the healthy volunteers. The connection between heart attack risk and trans fats remained even after scientists made statistical adjustments for the supposed detrimental affects of saturated fats in the diet.

In a study in Seattle, 179 cases aged 25 to 74 were out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients attended by paramedics in Seattle from 1988 to 1999. 285 controls, matched to the 179 cases by age and sex, were randomly identified from the community. Participants were free of previous clinically diagnosed heart disease. Blood was obtained at the time of cardiac arrest (cases) or at the time of an interview (controls) to assess trans fat intake. Higher total trans fat in red blood cell membranes was associated with a modest increase in the risk of primary cardiac arrest after adjustment for medical and lifestyle risk factors. Trans isomers of linoleic acid were associated with a three-fold increase in risk.

One 2007 study found, "Each 2% increase in the intake of energy from trans unsaturated fats, as opposed to that from carbohydrates, was associated with a 73% greater risk of ovulatory infertility.

An increased intake of trans-fatty acids may raise the risk of breast cancer by 75 per cent, suggest the results from the French part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. And one recent study has found connections between trans fat and prostate cancer.

And research from Wake Forest University indicates that trans fats make you fatter than other foods with the same number of calories -- but that's not all. They found that trans fats increase the amount of fat around the belly. They do this not just by adding new fat, but also by moving fat from other areas to the belly.

"Trans fat is worse than anticipated," Wake Forest researcher Lawrence L. Rudel, PhD, says in a news release. "Diets rich in trans fat cause a redistribution of fat tissue into the abdomen and lead to a higher body weight even when the total dietary calories are controlled."

[Read part 2 HERE and part 3 HERE]

WR

We buy Celtic Sea Salt from The Grain & Salt Society and our latest order arrived yesterday. So I decided that, not only would I show you one of my antique store finds, I'd show you how I "prep" my salt.

First, today's favorite... This is an old general store "5 pounds" jar that I got for $5 at a really great junky little antique store (which I rarely get to shop at, let alone buy at). I love this jar!









We buy the salt in five pound bags, so this jar has been perfect for storing it.

When the salt arrives, it is still damp. When you put damp salt in a salt grinder it will clump. Not only that, but when you try to grind it will stick to the outside of the grinding mechanism and if you don't get it off it will clump up and dry hard.

So this is what I do... I cut open the bag and spread the salt out on the largest, rimmed, cookie sheet I have. Then I put it a warm oven for a few hours and stir it occasionally. When I think it's sufficiently dry, I take it out and let it come to room temperature.



Then I add powdered kelp.



I stir again, scoop it into the jar, and refill the salt grinder.



This time, I also put some in a jar for my Mom and Dad.



And here's that wonderful jar of salt.



WR

Hmm, it's Wednesday... and you want to talk about a health-related topic... don't you wish you had a nifty little graphic, with some witty alliteration, to put at the top of your post?

Well, here ya' go! ; )

Feel free to use the above graphic with a few conditions...

1. I took the photo as well as creating the graphic elements so do not alter the image (other than adjusting its size) or use any part of it for any other purpose without my express permission.
2. The graphic needs to link back to this post on my blog.
3. Only G-rated blogs may use this graphic.

Oh, and I would really appreciate a comment with a link to your blog, if decide to use this graphic.

Thank you,
WR