Beware of—
Hydrogenated Fats!
In the industrial nations today, the overall picture of chronic degenerative disease processes is staggering,and is literally the plague of our century. People are dying daily from excessive exposure to highly toxic chemical agents, excessive sugar intake, meat and dairy intake, and an excessive fat intake. The Harvard Medical School reported that the chemicals found in hydrogenated fats may be responsible for as many as 100,000 premature deaths per year, in the United States alone. Hydrogenated oils and fats are one of the great threats to America’s health today.
WHERE ARE HYDROGENATED FATS FOUND?
Hydrogenated fats are everywhere. They come in cans and jars, cartons, and most packaged snack foods. Hydrogenated fats are guaranteed not to spoil, for there is nothing left in them that could spoil. These plastic fats are found in all the supermarkets. Hydrogenated fats are found in children’s foods (such as breakfast cereals, cookies and crackers), and of course, it is in most fast foods. Two very common items that contain hydrogenated fat are stick margarine and vegetable shortening. When you are shopping read the labels. You will find dozens of everyday food products containing appreciable levels of partially and solid hydrogenated fats.
WHAT IS HYDROGENATION?
The process of hydrogenation was discovered or created by Paul Sabatier a French chemist who lived from 1854 – 1941. Paul Sabatier was mainly interested in the process of hydrogenation solely to make soap. He wanted to find a way to make soft oils into hard fats which were then only found in animal fat. These were expensive and there just wasn’t enough available. Sabatier, being a specialist in catalysts, finally succeeded in created a hard fat by using pulverized nickel in making the oil accept the bonds of hydrogen. The chemical difference between saturated and unsaturated oils or fats are the extra bonds of hydrogen. Hydrogenated fats are processed by going through a chemical hardening method to achieve increased plasticity (stiffness) of the liquid oils at room temperature. And partial hydrogenation hardens oils but does not make them fully solid. The process of hydrogenation oil is passing hydrogen bubbles through the fat.
The fatty acids in the oil then acquire some of the hydrogen, which makes it denser. The oil is cooked at high temperatures while under pressure in the presence of a catalyst. The fats go through about 18 different processes, including boiling, cooling and boiling again, agitation, straining, catalytic action, bleaching, coloring, etc. Every life-removing process imaginable is applied to these fats. The vitamins and nutritional mineral factors are also destroyed in the process, and the resulting dark and smelly grease is bleached and deodorized to become a white tasteless synthetic (plastic, if you please) fat that can be flavored, colored and sold to imitate butter or used for lard or other shortening for frying, etc.So the hydrogenation process uses three main steps:
- High heat
- A metal catalyst such as nickel
- and hydrogen gas. These metals
- are used to react
- with the hydrogen gas.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH HYDROGENATION?
Once a vegetable oil has been hydrogenated such as in margarine, a “new” fat has been created. Since such artificially hydrogenated vegetable fats are a recent addition to the diet of man, and since the human body has had no past experience with them, it seems reasonable to wonder if it has the capacity to deal comfortably with this essentially synthetic food.
Recent statistical analysis of the incidence of heart disease and the consumption of hydrogenated fats in England has shown a dramatic and detailed correlation between the two. Where margarine and solid vegetable shortenings were used in significant quantities, the rate of heart attack was always higher than where they weren’t used. Hydrogenated oils contain high levels of trans-fats. Trans-fats don’t occur in nature so our bodies don’t know how to deal with them effectively. In other words these are poisons. The body is unable to use them. They interfere with the metabolic processes. When trans-fats interact with normal fat they disturb bodily functions in a most deleterious manner.
Trans-fats interfere with important, normal functions of the enzymes which are necessary for the body’s normal metabolism of fats. Many of these problems with trans-fats have been known or suspected for about 20 years, but have been largely ignored in the United States. But over in Europe, trans-fats are restricted in food products. Unfortunately, the food industry denies that there are any problems with hydrogenated oils. Interestingly, hog farmers will not feed trans-fats to their animals because the pigs will die if they eat them.
Any food that lists hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated on the label contains trans-fats and should be avoided. So be sure to read the labels on all packaged foods and avoid those with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil.Hydrogenated fats are well received in commercial circles for their many conveniences. Products made with hydrogenated fats have a high degree of durability, resisting change and deterioration and rancidity even under poor storage conditions and unfavorable temperatures. We are told that hydrogenated shortenings offer a tenfold increase in resistance to rancidity. The baking industry uses hydrogenated fats because it gives a creamy quality to frostings and lightness to bake goods as well as give longer resistance to deterioration.
FROM BAD TO WORSE
It is bad enough that with every mouthful of hydrogenated fat we also get a minute amount of nickel, but we are also treated to other substances as well. When you use margarine or other hydrogenated fats here is what you will be getting for your money (in most cases):
- Benzoate of soda
- Dyes or other coloring matter
- Artificial flavoring
- Artificial vitamins
- Saturated fat/hydrogenated
- fat
- Possibly small amounts
- of pulverized nickel
- oils
- Fragmented aluminum
SEVERAL STUDIES THAT SHOW THE DANGERS OF TRANS-FATTY ACIDS
Dietary trans-fatty acids raise LDL cholesterol and result in reductions of HDL cholesterol. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1994 April, 59:861.
Hydrogenated fats increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Science, 1994, April 22, 264:5 3 2.
Intake of margarine ─ the major source of trans-fatty acids ─ is significantly associated with risk of heart disease. Circulation, 1994 January, 89:94 0.
Below is a list of foods that are usually always
made with partially hydrogenated
oils :
Cake mixes
Biscuit and pancake mixes
Frostings
Crackers
Peanut butter (except freshly ground)
Frozen entrees
Frozen bakery products
Most prepared frozen meats and fish
French fires
Whipped toppings
Margarines, shortening
Instant mashed potatoes
Taco shells
Microwave popcorn
Corn chips, potato chips
Breakfast cereals
Most ice creams
The only way to eliminate partially hydrogenated fats from your diet is to read all labels. Most of the information that is out about trans-fats has been know for some time, but the commercial industry and food processors have succeeded in keeping this issue quiet and away from much of the public. If you value your health and the health of your loved ones stay away from all hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats.
References:
- John A. McDougall, M.D., The McDougall Plan, (New Century Publishers, Inc., 1983.
- Udo Eramus, Fats and Oils, Vancouver, Canada: Alive Books, 1986.
- Breatrice Trum Hunter, Consumer Beware!, A Touchstone Book, Simon & Schuster Publisher, 1971
- K.H. Cooper, Controlling Cholesterol, New York, Bantom Books, 1988.
- J.C. Alexander, Dietary Fats and Cancer, New York, Alan R. Liss, Inc., 1986.
- D.J.A. Jenkins, Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, Philadelphia, Lea and Febiger, 1988.
