Trans fats are a man-made phenomenon. We actually produce it on purpose, in the same way we produce the cigarettes that kill tens of thousands of us every year.
Why would we do such a heinous thing? The answer is that we thought we were doing the right thing and improving a food product.
There are three types of fat that occur naturally — monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated. All fat, regardless of type, contains 9 calories (kcals) per gram.
This means fat is very calorically dense, and eating too much of it will make your body fat.
Saturated fat adds another problem. It boosts LDL cholesterol and accelerates atherosclerosis (clogging of the arteries). Thus, it would seem obvious that when choosing a fat to consume you would avoid saturated fat.
Unfortunately, saturated fat has several advantages over the other fats. It is firmer at room temperature, it has a longer shelf life, it holds up better when repeatedly using it to deep- fry, and in many products it had a more appealing taste.
When the evils of saturated fat became known, we were warned to avoid products that contain it — things like butter. As an alternative, margarine was created with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. But to make margarine sufficiently firm at room temperature, these fats had to be altered.
They had to be hydrogenated — a process that moves some hydrogens around, altering the chemical structure, creating trans fats. This did the trick. Margarine could be made in stick form, and it looked and tasted a lot like butter.
Then it was discovered that trans fats are an even greater health threat than saturated fat.
We've known how bad trans fats are for a long time. Over the years, I've warned about trans fats many times in this column. So why have we suddenly gotten the message?
Why are we now willing to take action, trying to pass laws against trans fats? And why are food manufacturers now willing to ban trans fats from their products?
A cunning diversion
I suspect there is more to this story than simply doing what's right and good for the public's health. My suspicious mind tells me that pointing a finger at trans fats diverts attention from the real issues. Trans fats are the sacrificial lamb.
The real culprit in our diet, the one that leads the parade in killing us prematurely, is saturated fat. In fact, our consumption of trans fats is tiny compared to our consumption of saturated fat.
Consider the key sources of saturated fat — ground beef products (hamburgers, meatloaf, etc.), processed meats (hot dogs, salami, bologna, etc.), dairy products (whole milk, 2% milk, ice cream, cheese, butter, etc.), baked goods (doughnuts, croissants, etc.) and cuts of meat (steak, roasts, etc.).
Sound familiar? Of course. These foods are the backbone of the American diet.
Americans increasingly are wanting to follow a healthier diet, and pressure is building on food producers to offer healthier products.
This was the same scenario played out years ago with the cigarette industry. When the evils of smoking became so obvious that even Joe Camel couldn't deny it any longer, something had to be done.
In response, the tobacco industry gave us low-nicotine cigarettes. This caused nicotine-addicted smokers to smoke more cigarettes and to smoke these cigarettes more aggressively, right down to their fingers trying to suck out every trace of nicotine. In the process, more tar was sucked into the lungs, increasing the risk of lung cancer.
The low-nicotine cigarette was a brilliant move by the tobacco industry. On the one hand, they sold more cigarettes. On the other hand, they fooled us into thinking they were doing something for our benefit.
And when tar was exposed as a bad guy, they put out a low-tar cigarette. These moves were good for public relations, but more important they allowed cigarette sales to continue unabated for several more years.
The bottom line
Our fatty diets are killing us in several ways, and the public is finally beginning to understand this. So food producers are willing to put trans fats on the chopping block lulling us into thinking that selecting foods labeled "No Trans Fats" is all we need to do to have a healthy diet.
This protects the dietary sacred cows and pacifies our need to believe that something positive is being done.
Now, don't get me wrong. Ridding our diet of trans fats is a great thing to do. But cooking french fries in beef tallow loaded with saturated fat is clearly not a step up from cooking fries in hydrogenated oils that contain trans fats. Both are bad, and both need to be dropped from our diets if real progress is to be made.
"The Body Shop" runs Thursdays. Bryant Stamford is professor and chairman of the department of exercise science at Hanover College. If you have questions or suggestions, go to his Web site at professorstamford.com. Or address questions to "The Body Shop," The Courier-Journal, P.O. Box 740031, Louisville, KY 40201-7431.