What Is Trans Fat And Why Is It Bad For Me?

— -- Question: What is trans fat and why is it bad for me?

Answer: Trans fats are an artificial fat that's used to replace animal fats. They tend to be solid fats at room temperature. They behave very much like saturated fats; we need to think of them in the same way we do saturated fats -- in terms of raising blood cholesterol and potentially increasing insulin resistance. However, many people believe that trans fats increase body weight; they are the same number of calories as any other source of fat, but they tend to be in products such as baked goods, fried foods -- so that the foods that they contain may be high in calories. But trans fats are no higher in calories than any other type of fat.

Next: How Does Trans Fat Compare With Bad Fat?

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