DEATH BY COOKIE: THE DANGER OF HYDROGENATED AND MODIFIED OILS

HYDROGENATED OILS:
​During hydrogenation, hydrogen is added to doubly-bonded carbon atoms to form single bonds.  These hydrogenated oils become solids, making them spreadable.  The food industry created the hydrogenation process with two purposes in mind:

1. ​To produce inexpensive, spreadable products like margarine and shortening.
2. ​To increase shelf life.

UNSATURATED FATS:
​The fatty acids have a number of doubly-bonded carbon atoms.  If they have many double bonds, they are called polyunsaturated.  They tend to be more liquid and are referred to as oils.

TRANS FATTY ACIDS (TFAs):
​TFAs are produced when the hydrogenation process is not complete, and some double bonds are left unsaturated.  Long-chain TFAs do not naturally occur and are harmful by-products of the hydrogenation process.  Approximately one third of all edible oils produced are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated.  High levels of TFAs have been associated with an increased risk of:

• ​cardiovascular disease
• immune dysfunction
• increased total cholesterol
  
• decreased 'good' HDL cholesterol

As little as one gram of TFAs per day raises the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%, and most fast food meals that are deep-fried contain at least 5 grams of TFAs!  TFAs are also found in most​ commercial cookies, pastries, chips, crackers, breads and chocolates.

MODIFIED OILS:
​Modification can mean either fractionation of the oil to isolate a fraction with a higher composition of saturated fatty acids or a chemical modification process called interesterification.  Interesterification is relatively new and has been adopted by the food industry to phase out hydrogenation.  This chemical process forces into oil either a saturated fatty acid (i.e. steric acid) or a fat with a high composition of a fatty acid that is solid at room temperature, (e.g. tung oil, which is over 80% alpha-eleostearic acid - a fatty acid with two trans​ double bonds), displacing some of the polyunsaturated fatty acids, turning the oil into a solid.  The resulting fat is labeled 'modified'.

The chemically modified oils have been shown to increase an individual's risk for developing diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease.

THE SOLUTION;
​Check the ingredient list on the label and DON'T BUY PRODUCTS that contain HYDROGENATED/PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OR MODIFIED OILS!  They only exist to make money for the food industry and adversely affect your health!