Research Library

For years we’ve been warning of the dangers of trans-fatty acids. Back in July of 2002, the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine issued a report that concluded that “the only safe intake of trans-fats is zero”. Trans fats raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol and raise the risk for heart disease. And if this weren’t enough reason to stay away from them, now it looks like they may also make us fat, and contribute to the risk for insulin resistance and diabetes!

 Six years ago, a study began at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical College in Winston-Salem North Carolina, that investigated the effects of trans-fats on monkeys. This month the findings were presented at the 66^th Scientific Sessions. The results were, in a word, shocking.

 Here’s what happened: One group of monkeys were fed a diet with 8% of their calories from trans fats (partially hydrogenated soybean oil); the other group of monkeys had the same diet without the trans fats. At the end of the six years, the researchers scanned the monkey’s arteries but the thing that really stood out was their bellies. The trans-fat eating monkeys had gained around 7% in weight, while their counterparts had put on a mere 2%. The trans-fat eaters also had about 33% more flab around their bellies. “You can see white gobs of fat in these guys”, said lead researcher Dr. Kylie Kavanagh.

 The trans-fat eating primates also had higher blood glucose levels and were more insulin resistant than their counterparts. They were on the road to developing diabetes. And most interesting, they gained this extra fat on the same number of calories as their healthier counterparts, just by eating 8% of their calories from trans-fats.

 As of January this year, manufacturers are required to disclose the level of trans-fats on nutrition labels, but a loophole in the regulations allows them to say “zero trans-fats” if there is 0.5g or less trans-fats per serving. Since some products have a very small “serving size”, you need to be careful because you could unknowingly ingest quite a few grams of trans-fats from products that are supposedly “trans-fat free”.  The bottom line: even if a label states "zero trans-fats", the consumer must read the ingredients to determine if small amounts are still present. All Atkins products have zero trans-fats and you will never see “partially hydrogenated oil” on the ingredient list of any Atkins product.