Do you keep a close eye on your diet to protect yourself from blood vessel disorders such as coronary sclerosis, cerebro-vascular ailments or strokes? Most people, without even thinking would answer, “Yes, I avoid food high in cholesterol like bacon, egg, shrimp and butter.” The reality is however, it’s not easy to do away with the tasty flavor that butter provides. Many middle-aged people have switched over to margarine instead in light of the widely held view that it’s better for you. Recent research by doctors, however, shows clear signs that consuming margarine is even more dangerous than its dairy brother.

The key reason for concern is that margarine contains “trans fats.” Trans Fatty Acid, or trans fats accumulate on the walls of your blood vessels gradually and take effect very slowly. Cho Hong-keun from Yonsei University's division of cardiology says, "Trans fats reduce your metabolism very gradually and paralyze your cell functions, prompting aging without you knowing it". Trans fats work just like snow, starting out quietly, but suddenly turning into a blizzard. To prevent such a storm, the Korea Food and Drug Administration have said it will make it mandatory for food producers to label the percentage of trans fats in their products next year, as yes, there is plenty of food containing trans fats around us.

So just why are trans fats so harmful, and can we do anything to protect ourselves from their hazardous effects? Trans fats act just like saturated fats inside your blood vessels, though they are technically unsaturated fats, lowering high-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol inside your blood vessels. HDL cleans up your blood vessels. Trans fats instead increase the low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol content, which narrows their diameter, creating a much greater risk than those associated with saturated fats, Harvard Medical School indicated in 1999. This greatly increases the possibility of heart conditions such as myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke and arteriosclerosis.

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Another reason why trans fats cause harm is that they weaken your immune response. We have as many as 100 trillion cells in our body and the cell membrane plays a key role by absorbing nutrients, expelling waste and serves as a barrier against foreign bodies. Trans fats’ ill effects zone in on the cell membrane and bring about several associate disorders through time. Your body doesn’t differentiate between trans fats and essential fatty acids and so this causes cell membranes to let out nutrients and let in germs and viruses. This can be especially serious in brain cells, leading to severely reduced brain functions. There are still conflicting views about these issues among researchers, but many increasingly believe that trans fats are related with chronic fatigue syndrome that affects adults and hyperactive child syndrome in the younger generation.

You shouldn’t take more than half a croissant and one slice of toast a day, experts say. What are the foods that contain trans fats? The KFDA says microwave popcorn, frozen pizza, fried potatoes at fast food restaurants and chicken fried with shortening. Experts also say that pastry and cakes that feel soft, sweet and crispy contain more trans fats than others. The World Health Organization recommends that trans fats should not make up more than 1 percent of your daily calorific intake. Women aged between 20 and 49 who need 2000 kcal. per day should restrict their trans fat intake to below 2.2 grams, or half a croissant and one slice of toasted bread with margarine a day. Many people have misconceptions that it is okay for children to eat fats because they help them grow, but for children, the standards have become even stricter and daily trans fat intake should not exceed 1.3 grams for kids between 1~3 years old and 1.8 grams for those between 4~6 years per day.

◆ Find alternative foods

The best thing you can do is not to eat anything containing trans fat at all, but that may be impossible, so we are advised to cut down as much as possible. Nutritional Evaluation Division Director, Park Hye-kyung of the Korean Food and Drug Administration said that adults need to keep away from foods containing more than 5 grams of trans fat for one serving. “Make sure to check the amount of trans fat contained before you purchase any food. Many food companies are now reducing the use of shortening in their products.” Another good way forward is to find alternative foods ? you can make popcorn without adding butter, eat wheat bread instead of toasted bread with margarine, grill your chicken instead of frying it, make vegetable cakes instead of frozen pizza and vegetable sandwiches instead of hamburgers. If margarine is needed, limit the amount to less than one teaspoon.

◆ Keep these in mind

Vegetable oil can be turned into trans fat when it is not properly sealed, left at a normal temperature or stored in a place that attracts a lot of sunlight. According to the KFDA, a cup of yogurt contains 0.2 grams of trans fat, a piece of sliced cheese 0.3 grams and a cone of ice cream 0.7 g, but the fat in these foods is naturally generated from milk and contains 0.5 grams of trans fat per cup, and considered unharmful. “Trans fat in milk and dairy products is not a big problem because it is negligible in amount and there are a lot more beneficial nutrients than harmful ones in milk and dairy products,” Dr. Kim Ji-yeong at the KFDA Nutritional Evaluation Division said. "If we don’t consume artificially formed trans fat, like shortening, we can stay healthy."

(englishnews@chosun.com )