While some trans fatty acids (trans fats) occur naturally, most trans fats are the result of hydrogena­tion, a process that occurs during the production of commercial foods.

Once upon a time, only true diet detectives knew whether a particular food contained trans fat, a phantom fat added to thousands of foods that has the most damaging effects on the heart and blood vessels. They were the people who knew that the code phrases “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” and “vegetable shortening” meant that trans fat lurked in the food.

As of January 1, 2006, trans fat must be listed on food labels along with other bad fats (saturated fats) and good ones (unsaturated fats).

The addition is a victory for Harvard School of Public Health researchers who helped sound the alarm about trans fat in the early 1990s and who advocated that it be explicitly listed on food labels. After much equivocation by the FDA and intense lobbying against adding trans fat to food labels by parts of the food industry, the FDA finally approved the addition.

This small, one-line change is sparking a major makeover of the American food supply. The FDA once estimated that approximately 95% of prepared cookies, 100% of crackers, and 80% of frozen breakfast products contained trans fat. Now that trans fat must be listed on food labels, some companies are scrambling to remove them from their products. Many others have already succeeded in going trans fat free. The shift follows the growing realization that trans fats are even worse for the heart and blood vessels than saturated fats.

Why is This Important to You?

Trans fats are a type of mostly man-made fat that the food industry loves, but our hearts and blood vessels don’t. In the late 19th century, chemists discovered that they could turn liquid vegetable oil into a solid or semi-solid by adding hydrogen atoms to the fat backbone. They did this by bubbling hydrogen gas through vegetable oil in the presence of a nickel catalyst. This was far more than a chemical curiosity. Partially hydrogenated oils don’t spoil as easily as nonhydrogenated fats. They can also withstand repeated heating without breaking down.

These characteristics were attractive to food makers. Over time, partially hydrogenated oils became a mainstay in margarines, commercially baked goods, and snack foods. When saturated fat was fingered as a contributor to high cholesterol, companies such as McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts switched from beef tallow to partially hydrogenated vegetable oil for frying French fries and donuts.

Today we know that eating trans fats increases levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, “bad” cholesterol), especially the small, dense LDL particles that are most damaging to arteries. LDL particles travel in the blood to specific sites where they attach with a type of lock and key mechanism, where they then unload their contents. Trans fats reduce LDL particle size, thereby reducing the particles surface area resulting in the loss of the receptor “key.” The particle can no longer attach to the specific sites and with nowhere to unload their contents they build up in our arteries.

It lowers levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles, which scour blood vessels for bad cholesterol and truck it to the liver for disposal. It increases the tendency of blood platelets to clump and form potentially artery-blocking clots. It also fires inflammation, an over-activity of the immune system that has been implicated in heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.

Now that the once-ubiquitous but invisible trans fats are listed in bold print on food labels, it’s easier to spot them in packaged foods.

**Keep in mind, though, that according to the FDA, a product claiming to have zero trans fat can actually contain up to a half gram. (Canada set a different standard of zero as under 0.2 grams.) Some companies reduce the serving size on the ingredient label so they can claim that their product is “Trans Fat Free.” So you may still want to scan the ingredient list for “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil”, “vegetable shortening” or “hydrogenated”’ and look for an alternative product without those words, especially if it’s something you eat regularly. If you eat 2-3 servings you could be consuming up to 1.5 grams of trans fat, even though the label says “zero trans fat.”

It’s harder to avoid trans fat in restaurants, since they are not required to provide nutrition information about the food they serve. One strategy is to avoid deep-fried foods, since many restaurants continue to use partially hydrogenated oils in their fryers. You may be able to help change this behavior by asking your server, the chef, or manager if the establishment uses trans-free oils.

Ounce for ounce, trans fats are far worse than saturated fats when it comes to heart disease. The Nurses’ Health Study found that replacing only 30 calories (7 grams) of carbohydrates every day with 30 calories (4 grams) of trans fats nearly doubled the risk for heart disease. Saturated fats increased risk as well, but not nearly as much.

Action Plan

1. Look through your refrigerator and pantry at home. Scan the labels for the word ‘hydrogenated’ or “vegetable shortening.”

2. Make a list of these foods. When you grocery shop, be sure to find replacements for these foods that do not contain these words.

3. Stay vigilant. Continue to read labels, choosing foods that do not have the words ‘hydrogenated’ on the label.

4. Know where to shop. Trader Joes, PCC Markets and Whole Foods all have standards set for the foods that they stock. Trans fats are all but absent from these foods, making it easier to find both name and store brand foods to meet your needs.

If you find that most of the foods in your house contain these ingredients, don’t despair. If you can afford to, you can donate these foods to a food bank, take your list to the grocery store and replace them all at once. If not, simply start to replace them as you shop over the next few months.

Angela Pifer, MSN, CN Bellevue Nutritionist

Bellevue Weight Loss Programs – Get the daily support that gets results! – Locally as well as nationally through Skype.

By BOB CONDOR SPECIAL TO THE P-I, CONTRIBUTING NUTRITIONIST ANGELA PIFER

Let's put this product idea squarely in the you-decide category: This fall, Nestle U.S.A. debuted its first "nutricosmetics" beauty drink, Glowelle. It is sold at Bergdorf Goodman and 45 Neiman Marcus stores.

"We're Nestle but we're also a startup beauty company," said Kimberly Cooper, who supervised the launch of Glowelle after pitching it two years ago to her bosses. "So our goal is to build credibility."

In a December interview with Fast Company magazine Cooper added that market researchers projected the "beauty drinks" category to become a $1.3 billion industry by 2012 and that projections for the product category were less than $1 million in 2006.

"We have to educate consumers about what this category is and make them much more open to the idea that what you consume does affect how you look and feel," she said.

Sound like 21st-century marketing? Sound like an adage? Sound like both? You are what you eat or drink, or something like that.

For her part, local nutritionist Angela Pifer said, "It's not you are what you eat, it's you are what you absorb." She explained that a healthy digestive system can go a long way toward healthy skin and youthful glow.

"Everyone thinks beauty is skin deep," said Pifer, whose Nutrition Northwest practice (nutritionnorthwest.com) has offices in Seattle and Kirkland. "But beauty starts with your nutritional status, whether you are getting the nutrients you need and absorbing (them), whether you are getting good sleep, whether you are active and whether you are drinking enough water and fluids."

In fact, Pifer said enough sleep (apparently called "beauty sleep" for a reason) and — surprise! — regular physical activity lead the list of what's needed for healthier skin and a more youthful appearance.

"Activity helps you to sweat out toxins from the body," she said. "A lot of us might wake up in the morning with eyes that are puffy. It's amazing the difference you can make in your appearance with a half-hour workout in the morning. Your eyes will be less puffy and your skin will have much more of a glow. You get the circulation moving."

The sleep connection to healthy skin and physical beauty has long been proposed as a necessity. What's intriguing about newer sleep research is that a good night's rest appears to promote brain cell repair and growth, resulting in improved memory and even heightened creativity. It's not much of a leap to assume that if brain cells are restored, there can be a similar positive effect on skin cells.

Digestive health is another significant contributor to beautiful skin and appearance. Pifer explained that many of her clients "feel gassy" and think it's normal, rather than the body's adverse reaction to foods. "Eighty percent of the immune cells in the body surround the intestine," she said. "That's the body's first line of defense and also where inflammation can occur. Inflammation blocks your absorption of nutrients."

While it might seem difficult to determine if and how well your body absorbs nutrients, Pifer suggested it is easy enough to get a feel for nutritional absorption provided you don't become squeamish about what solids you eliminate from the body.

To wit: You can gauge your own digestive health through some simple observations about the waste you eliminate. Determine frequency of your bowel movements, she advised. Figure out if there are bigger pieces of food moving through your system, which indicates you are not chewing your food adequately. An effective strategy (guess Mom was right) is to slow down when you eat.

Pifer said adverse food reaction and its subsequent inflammatory response can lead people to suffer deep fatigue and face skin breakouts that, again, clients consider normal or "part of life" rather than a condition that can be adjusted.

As a first step, Pifer will advise clients to eliminate wheat and dairy from their diets to allow the body time to heal and subdue inflammation. She urges clients to eat more fruits, vegetables and other plant foods such as beans and nuts. Pifer is not inclined to recommend supplements for skin care or overall beauty and most decidedly won't be tapping into the beauty drink category.

"There is no magic bottle or pill," she said. "I frame it this way for clients: If you were holding an orange in your hand, I could offer you a pill that has an equivalent amount of ascorbic acid or vitamin C. What would you be missing? Well, hundreds of bioactive compounds that also are in that piece of fruit (many of which will boost skin health and appearance)."

Pifer said anyone interested in buying beauty drinks would be better served investing in "an organic produce delivery service for the full health and beauty benefits."

bobcondor@aol.com; blog posts at alternativehealthjournal.com