Monday, Jun 19, 2006
Trans Fat Leads to Abdominal Fat
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Eating diet rich in trans fat such as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil causes accumulation of fat in abdomen, leading to apple body shape, which increases the risk of diabetese and heart disease.
People who consume trans fat are likely to gain more weight and accumulate more fat in the abdomen area. According to Lawrence L. Rudel, Ph.D., professor of pathology and biochemistry at Wake Forest University, "Diets rich in trans fat cause a redistribution of fat tissue into the abdomen and lead to a higher body weight even when the total dietary calories are controlled."
Trans fat is man made fat found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils. Unlike other fats, the majority of trans fat is formed when food manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats like shortening and hard margarine by adding hydrogen.
A six year study was funded to look at the role of trans fatty acids in atherosclerosis. Prof Rudel says trans fat is worse than anticipated and he was surprised with the results.
During the study male monkeys were fed a western-style diet that contains trans fat had a 7.2 percent increase in body weight, compared to a 1.8 percent increase in monkeys that ate monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil. Monkeys on the diet containing trans fats had dramatically more abdominal fat than the monkeys on the monounsaturated fat. They deposited 30 percent more fat in their abdomen.
All the monkeys part of the study were fed just enough diet that should only have been enough to maintain their weight, not increase it, Rudel said. “We believed they couldn’t get obese because we did not give them enough calories to get fat.”
One group of monkeys got 8 percent of their calories from trans fat while the other group received those calories as monounsaturated fat. The researchers said that this amount of trans fat is comparable to people who eat a lot of fried food.
“We conclude that in equivalent diets, trans fatty acid consumption increases weight gain,” said Kylie Kavanagh, DVM
Over the entire course of the study, there was a small but significant difference in weight between the two groups. “In the world of diabetes, everybody knows that just 5 percent weight loss makes enormous difference,” Kavanagh said. “This little difference was biologically quite significant.”
Kavanagh said the six-year length of the study was equivalent to 20 years in people.
Since Jan. 1, the FDA has required the amount of trans fat to be listed in the nutrition facts panel on all foods. But the restaurant industry is exempt.
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