Trans Fat

Trans fat (also known as trans fatty acids) is a specific type of fat formed when liquid oils are made into solid fats like shortening and hard margarine. However, a small amount of trans fat is found naturally, primarily in some animal-based foods.

What is Trans Fat?

Trans fats are unsaturated fats produced from vegetable oils. They are commonly found in commercially baked or fried foods.

Trans Fat History

Trans Fat Chemistry

Trans Fat Nutritional Guidelines

Trans Fat Food Industry Response

Trans Fat in Food

Trans Fat Regulation

Latest Trans Fat News and Research

Study reveals neurological effects of reused frying oils

A new study found higher levels of neurodegeneration in rats that consumed reused deep fried cooking oils and their offspring compared to rats on a normal diet. Deep frying, which involves completely submerging food in hot oil, is a common method of food preparation around the world.

25 Mar 2024

Advances in grain research illuminate potential for precision nutrition in clinical settings

Grains are a primary source of energy (calories) in the diet.

1 Nov 2023

The Western vs. Mediterranean Diet: is there an association between dietary patterns and reduction in breast cancer risk?

Researchers compared the impacts of Western and Mediterranean diets on breast cancer risk.

27 Apr 2023

Highly processed foods contribute to poor diet quality among Japanese adults

Researchers explore the intake of highly processed foods (HPF) with respect to overall diet quality.

26 Apr 2023

Few simple adjustments to your daily diet can help reduce heart disease risk

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women, with half of all Americans (47%) qualifying for at least one of the three key risk factors (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking cigarettes).

25 Jan 2023

The impact of the MIND dietary pattern on cognitive health and incidence of dementia

A recent study evaluated adherence to the MIND dietary pattern in the UK Biobank (UKB).

10 Jan 2023

New guidelines for heart-healthy eating

We speak to Dr. Alice Lichtenstein about the American Heart Association’s latest guidelines for a heart-healthy diet, and how they can be applied across different lifestyles.

14 Dec 2021

Eating more plant-based foods associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease in midlife

Eating more nutritious, plant-based foods is heart-healthy at any age, according to two research studies published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

4 Aug 2021

More than a third of low- and middle-income countries face double burden of malnutrition

A new approach is needed to help reduce undernutrition and obesity at the same time, as the issues become increasingly connected due to rapid changes in countries' food systems.

16 Dec 2019

Unhealthy lifestyle raises heart disease risk more than genetics

A new study has found that an unhealthy lifestyle increases a person’s risk of heart disease significantly more than a person’s genetic make-up.

3 Sep 2019

British ready meals deemed healthier than those sold in India and China

British processed foods are reported to be the healthiest in the world, whereas India and China rank lowest for packaged food product quality.

21 Aug 2019

Lowering blood pressure, sodium intake, and eliminating trans fat could prevent premature deaths

A worldwide effort to lower people's blood pressure, cut their sodium intake, and eliminate trans fat from their diet could dramatically reduce the incidence of premature death from cardiovascular disease over a quarter century, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

11 Jun 2019

Study estimates potential health and economic impacts of FDA's added sugar label

The Food and Drug Administration's mandatory added sugar labeling policy for packaged foods and beverages, set to take effect between 2020 and 2021, could be a cost-effective way to generate important health gains and cost-savings for both the healthcare system and society in the U.S., according to a new modeling study led by researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and the University of Liverpool.

15 Apr 2019

WHO identifies non-communicable diseases as major threat to human health

Second on the list are non-communicable diseases including cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes etc. The WHO report states that around 70 percent of the deaths are caused by these non-communicable diseases.

21 Jan 2019

Moderate amounts of healthy fats could soon be allowed in diets

Most public health guidelines including the Dietary Guidelines for Americans do not allow fat portions in excess. However nutritionists and dieticians have now agreed that not all fats in diet are bad and many of them could be allowed.

8 Jan 2019

Food labels have caused changes in consumers' intake and industry's use of key additives

Over the past two decades, labels such as the U.S. Nutrition Facts Panel on packaged foods, calorie counts on national restaurant menus, front-of-pack labels encouraging healthier eating, and "low-sodium" or "fat-free" identifiers have been developed in order to promote healthier choices. But do they work?

17 Dec 2018

Mediterranean-style diet appears to reduce stroke risk in women

One of the largest and longest-running efforts to evaluate the potential benefits of the Mediterranean-style diet in lowering risk of stroke found that the diet may be especially protective in women over 40 regardless of menopausal status or hormone replacement therapy, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke.

20 Sep 2018

Multivitamins and minerals do not protect heart health, study shows

A recent study has shown that supplementing the diet with multivitamins and minerals does not prevent against heart attacks, strokes or cardiovascular events that lead to death.

12 Jul 2018

Multivitamin and mineral supplements do not prevent cardiovascular diseases

Taking multivitamin and mineral supplements does not prevent heart attacks, strokes or cardiovascular death, according to a new analysis of 18 studies published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

10 Jul 2018

Salads should be selected carefully by people slimming for summer

People trying to get in beach body shape for the summer often head for the salad bar at restaurants. But many of those salads contain more calories, sodium and fat than consumers may want, says a University of Florida nutrition expert.

27 Jun 2018