10 Harmful Fats that Damage Your Body.
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High Omega-6 Seed Oils
The 10 harmful fats are high omega-6 seed oils: corn, soybean, cottonseed, peanut, canola, safflower and sunflower. Seeds contain phytic acid which inhibits absorption of many minerals including calcium and magnesium. Omega-6s create free radicals in your body and increase inflammation causing cardiovascular disease and cancer. Omega-3s reduce free radicals and inflammation giving you a reduced risk of cancer and improved cardiovascular health.
Hydrogenated Oils
When hydrogen is added to an oil (such as soybean oil or canola), it becomes more solid. These fats are called hydrogenated oils. They are used in many different products, from peanut butter to shortening to chips and crackers. Hydrogenated oils were introduced into processed foods in order to help extend their shelf life. Unfortunately, when hydrogenated oils replace saturated fats (like those found in coconut and palm oils), there is a higher risk of coronary heart disease because these oils interfere with your cholesterol levels. It's best to avoid them altogether—and it may be possible simply by reading food labels! Look for words like hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated when you're shopping for packaged foods.
Trans Fats
These dangerous fats are found in packaged foods like cookies, crackers, and microwave popcorn. They’re also used to make fried foods like french fries and chicken nuggets. In fact, food manufacturers often use a mix of trans fats and saturated fats in their products because they’re so inexpensive and have a long shelf life. Trans fats have been linked to obesity, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, type 2 diabetes, infertility problems (in both men and women), heart disease—even tooth decay! If you can avoid trans fats altogether by reading labels carefully or eating at home as much as possible—do it! These are not healthy fats to be consuming on a regular basis.
Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils
Vegetable oils are extracted from plants such as corn, soybean and cottonseed. Unlike healthy fats found in avocados and fatty fish, these oils have been modified by chemical processing to increase their shelf life. Unfortunately, hydrogenation creates trans fat. This process turns vegetable oil into a solid form similar to shortening or margarine. A 2008 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that consumption of trans fat is linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease and heart attacks when compared with consumption of saturated fat (from animal products). Research also suggests an association between trans fat intake and type 2 diabetes in children who eat higher amounts of fast food meals.
Saturated Fatty Acids
It’s no secret saturated fats are harmful to your health, and it's also not surprising when you consider that consuming too much fat can lead to weight gain. It's more difficult to control your weight when you're carrying around extra pounds; therefore, it's best to limit saturated fats. Additionally, fatty foods have been found to increase LDL cholesterol levels in people who consume a high amount of saturated fat; an elevated LDL level is a risk factor for heart disease. Heart disease increases your risk of stroke and other chronic diseases like diabetes and cancer, so limiting saturated fats is an important step in lowering your overall health risks.
Unsaturated Fatty Acids
Although unsaturated fats aren’t as dangerous as trans fats and saturated fats, they aren’t exactly beneficial to your health either. They contain fat-soluble vitamins and omega-3s, which are essential for brain function, but they also increase bad cholesterol and are harmful to arteries. Examples of unsaturated fats include vegetable oils (like canola oil), nuts, seeds, fish, poultry and olive oil. Saturated Fatty Acids: These types of fatty acids should be avoided at all costs. Not only do they have an adverse effect on your heart but studies show that eating high amounts of saturated fat increases your risk for certain cancers.
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids
These are a good kind of fat. Olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil and avocados are all rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). One study suggests that regular consumption of olive oil has been associated with lower overall mortality rates and decreased risk of death from heart disease.
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
Believe it or not, polyunsaturated fatty acids are a type of harmful fat that damage your body. Polyunsaturated fats include oils such as sunflower, corn and soybean oil. These types of oils should be avoided because they have high levels of omega-6 fatty acids which can increase risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease and inflammation throughout your body. Most processed foods contain these harmful fats and you should limit your intake to less than 10% of daily calories. Ideally you would want to eliminate these from your diet all together. Do not be fooled by health claims on food labels.
Why We Shouldn’t Fear All Fats?
You may have seen headlines proclaiming, FAT IS BAD FOR YOU. And it is true that all fats are not created equal. However, saturated and trans fats are bad for you in large quantities because they contribute to inflammation and arterial plaque formation. The good news is that a little bit of fat each day isn’t likely to cause any problems, especially if it comes from sources high in Omega-3 fatty acids like nuts and seeds, fish or avocados. (Read more: Saturated Fat: 5 Ways to Limit It). But in order to truly understand why some fats can be harmful and others beneficial, we must first understand what makes up a fat molecule. So let’s dig into some nitty gritty science!
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