Are Trans fats really that bad for us compared to other fats or is it just a case of diet culture throwing a random aspect of food under the bus like they did with Carbs?

Question

I will never forgive the diet industry for telling me potatoes were bad for me, once I stopped caring about fad shit and just eating at a deficit (including at least one baked potato a day) the pounds absolutely melted off.

It got me thinking about other foods that the government / diet companies have said are bad. Were trans fats actually a big problem? The ban certainly hasn’t done much for the obesity epidemic.

In: Other

Answer 1

Trans-fats differ on a molecular level from their naturally-occurring counterparts, “cis-fats.” Unlike cis-fats, which occur in nature, trans-fat molecules have the same components but are arranged slightly differently. This means that our bodies basically don’t know what to do with trans fats, they’re less compatible with our cells than cis-fats because we didn’t evolve to consume them.

So trans-fats are disproportionately harmful compared to normal fats because our bodies let them accumulate. We can’t burn them for energy, so they pile up in our blood stream as cholesterol.

Fats in general are not bad as long as they’re consumed in moderation. But trans-fats are dangerous EVEN in moderation, because basically any amount of trans-fat is too much.