Trans Fat

DeVry University

December 20, 2012

Trans Fat
Do Americans know what they are eating? Most American are not realizing that what is being eaten might be harmful to their health and could be affecting their level of well-being. One of the unhealthiest fats that is being served and sold in restaurant and stores is trans fat. This fat affects the person’s health and body which can make it very difficult for a person to live a longer and healthier life. Manufactures of foods and other companies like to use it in products because it has the ingredient that helps food stay fresh for longer periods of time, thus they have a longer shelf life. Pizzas and french fries just to name a few, are some of the most common foods that have high amounts of trans fat in them which causes health problems to the body. These kinds of foods can be delicious but can also be dangerous. Foods that contain high amounts of trans fat are not safe for Americans to eat and if the government does not get involve in banning trans fat as well as Americans not exercising with eating healthy, this country will see an increase in people being diagnosed with high levels of cholesterol and also lead to heart attack.
Problems
First, foods that have high amounts of trans fat should be avoided because consumption of them can lead to high levels of cholesterol (Kalin, 2011).When it comes to fat, trans fat is considered by some doctors to be the worst type of fat that people can consume. Being diagnosed with high cholesterol at an early age is something that can impact that person for the rest of their life. Hydrogenation is the process in which trans-fat is made. It’s basically a liquid vegetable, which is heated and used, on foods so it can have a longer shelf life and companies will not lose any money. Bakeries were mainly the ones using a lot of trans-fat in their products since cakes and other baked goods needed to last longer than an average meal .One of the top reasons why restaurants decided to use trans fat in their food was because it can make their food last longer, this reduces waste, therefore increasing profits (Dwyer, 2011) Trans fat tends to raise the person low density lipoprotein which is the bad cholesterol and also lowers the high density lipoprotein. The high density lipoprotein is the one that makes the good cholesterol and avoids having the person with high cholesterol. The low density lipoprotein is the protein which causes an increase of the bad cholesterol throughout the person body. The low density lipoprotein carries cholesterol from the liver to the rest of the body. Scientist aren’t sure exactly why, but the addition of hydrogen to oil increases your cholesterol more than other types of fats (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011). When a person’s HDL is low, the person is risking being diagnosed with high levels of cholesterol. Foods with high amounts of trans fat are so delicious it can be hard to resist them (Hayes, 2010). Consuming foods that have trans fat such as hamburger worsen the persons cholesterol levels than consuming foods with saturated fats. This is because it trans fat causes inflammation which causes people to gain weight. It can also affect the activity of the immune system, which can also have influence cholesterol and cause other serious health problems. Once the immune system is affected by having high levels of cholesterol, the person is at a higher risk of being diagnosed with diabetes and other health problems.
In the early 1990s, Americans were eating foods that contain about six grams of trans-fat per day, which is more than what is recommended by doctors and other health service providers. It is recommended to eat no more than 0.5 grams of trans fat per day (U.S Department of health, 2012). This increases the chances of being diagnosed with high levels of cholesterol. Even small amounts of trans-fat in the diet can have harmful health effects (Kalin, 2011).Foods such as junk food that contain