What is trans fatty acid

Fatty acids are a type of carboxylic acid compound composed of a hydrocarbon group composed of a hydrocarbon and a carboxyl group. The fat we often refer to is the triacylglycerol that consists of glycerol and fatty acids. These fatty acid molecules can be saturated, that is, all carbon atoms are connected to each other, and saturated molecules are solid at room temperature. When the carbon atoms in the chain are linked by double bonds, the fatty acid molecules may be unsaturated. When a double bond is formed, there are two forms of this chain: cis and trans. As shown in the figure on the right, the cis key looks like a U-shape, and the trans key looks like a line. Unsaturated fatty acids formed by cis-bonds are liquids such as vegetable oils at room temperature, and unsaturated fatty acids formed by trans bonds are solid at room temperature.

Dangers It has long been believed that man-made fats come from vegetable oils and do not cause obesity as much as animal fats. They are more harmless to eat. However, recent studies have made people gradually see its true colors: “safety fat” actually causes diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Trans fatty acids affect us in two ways: One is to disrupt the food we eat, and the other is to change our body's normal metabolic pathways. Safflower oil, corn oil, and cottonseed oil containing polyunsaturated fats can lower cholesterol levels, but when hydrogenated to trans fatty acids, the effect is quite the opposite. They are still not as harmful as saturated fats, but they increase blood cholesterol levels. . The most influential cholesterol is LDL (Low Density Lipid), or bad cholesterol, which increases the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). High-density lipid HDL is a good cholesterol that reduces the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Trans fatty acids increase LDL (low-density lipids) and reduce HDL (high-density lipids), thereby increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. In addition, trans fatty acids are also associated with the onset of breast cancer. As early as 10 years ago, eight countries in Europe jointly carried out a number of researches on artificial fat hazards. Professor Andrey Fige, head of the German Association for Nutritional Medicine, told reporters that the results of the study showed that man-made fats have a great responsibility for the development of cardiovascular diseases. The risk of cardiovascular disease is 3—saturated fatty acids. 5 times, it will even damage people's cognitive function. In addition, man-made fats can also induce tumors (breast cancer, etc.), asthma, type 2 diabetes, allergies and other diseases, and have adverse effects on fetal weight and adolescent development. Seeing that the reporter's “response” was not strong enough, Prof Ferguson had just made an analogy: if there was a trade-off between a thick pork steak that looked “big and big and juicy,” and a French fries made from artificial fat, Then choose the former is more conducive to health.