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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRANS FATS

Today, more and more people who are concerned about salt, fat and sugar in their diet are diligently reading nutrition labels on cans and food packaging. Come January 2006, they'll have another piece of information available in their quest for healthy eating -- the amount of trans fats in a product.

Trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids that result when vegetable oils undergo processing. The goal of the processing, called hydrogenation, is to make liquids more stable or to make them semi-solid. Trans fats occur naturally in small amounts in some foods, such as butter, whole milk, cream, and certain meats. You'll also find trans fats in baked goods, fried foods, snacks and some stick margarines, among others.

Manufacturers rely on partially hydrogenated oils to give products their appealing taste and texture and to extend shelf life and prevent foods from becoming rancid. Their challenge has been in finding alternatives to trans fatty acids that yield the same appetizing characteristics without the fat.

The problem with trans fats is that they, along with saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, raise blood LDL (the "bad" cholesterol). Some evidence now suggests that trans fats also lower HDL (the "good" cholesterol). Since raised blood cholesterol can contribute to heart disease, doctors recommend maintaining a high ratio of HDL to LDL. This means limiting intake of trans fats (as well as saturated fats) while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.

So how can you reduce the amount of trans fats in your diet? Many companies have already started including trans fats on their nutritional labeling, so look for foods that have no or very low trans fats. You can also begin to rely more on liquid vegetable oils, including soybean, canola, corn, olive, safflower and sunflower oils, as well as margarines that are trans-fat free.

New fat processing techniques will eventually make it easier for food manufacturers to offer trans fat-free products that are just as tasty and tempting as their fat-laden counterparts.