Question

Identify the type of fatty acid in Frank’s food choices that is a product of hydrogenation and explain how it impacts risk for cardiovascular disease. Include in your answer the effects this fatty acid has on blood cholesterol levels and how it compares with saturated fatty acids when it comes to risk for heart disease. Support your answer with data, facts, key terminology, specific examples and other information drawn from the textbook and at least one other supplemental source

Answer 1

Trans fats are the result of a side reaction with the catalyst of the hydrogenation process. This is the result of unsaturated fat which is normally found as a cis isomer convert to a trans isomer of the unsaturated fat. Isomers are molecules that have the same molecular formula but are bonded together differently.

There are two broad types of trans fats found in foods: naturally-occurring and artificial trans fats. Naturally-occurring trans fats are produced in the gut of some animals and foods made from these animals (e.g., milk and meat products) may contain small quantities of these fats. Artificial trans fats (or trans fatty acids) are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid.

Studies in humans demonstrate that trans fats increase inflammation in the body, a potent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other diseases. Trans fats also decrease the health of the endothelium, the cells lining the arteries of the body which are essential to cardiovascular health.

Doctors worry about added trans fat because it increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Trans fat also has an unhealthy effect on your cholesterol levels.

There are two main types of cholesterol:

• Low-density lipoprotein. LDL, or "bad," cholesterol can build up in the walls of your arteries, making them hard and narrow.
• High-density lipoprotein. HDL, or "good," cholesterol picks up excess cholesterol and takes it back to your liver.

Trans fat increases your LDL cholesterol and decreases your HDL cholesterol.

If the fatty deposits within your arteries tear or rupture, a blood clot may form and block blood flow to a part of your heart, causing a heart attack; or to a part of your brain, causing a stroke.

There are strong, consistent, and graded relationships between saturated fat intake, blood cholesterol levels, and the epidemic of cardiovascular disease. The relationships are accepted as causal.

Many health authorities such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the British Dietetic Association, American Heart Association, the World Heart Federation, the British National Health Service, among others, advise that saturated fat is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The World Health Organization in May 2015 recommends switching from saturated to unsaturated fats.

A small, limited number of systematic reviews have examined the relationship between saturated fat and cardiovascular disease and have come to different conclusions.

A 2017 systematic review by the American Heart Association of randomized controlled clinical trials showed that reducing intake of dietary saturated fat and replacing it with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats could reduce cardiovascular disease by about 30%, similar to the reduction achieved by statin treatment for maintaining blood cholesterol within normal limits.

A different 2017 systematic review of randomized, controlled trials concluded that replacing saturated fats with mostly n-6 polyunsaturated fats is unlikely to reduce coronary heart disease (CHD) events, CHD mortality or total mortality. The 2017 review showed that inadequately controlled trials (e.g., failing to control for other lifestyle factors) that were included in earlier meta-analyses explain the prior results.

A 2015 systematic review also found no association between saturated fat consumption and risk of heart disease, stroke, or diabetes. However, this study only looked at observational studies, and can therefore not be used to determine cause and effect.

A 2014 systematic review looking at observational studies of dietary intake of fatty acids, observational studies of measured fatty acid levels in the blood, and intervention studies of polyunsaturated fat supplementation concluded that the findings ″do not support cardiovascular guidelines that promote high consumption of long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 and polyunsaturated fatty acids and suggest reduced consumption of total saturated fatty acids. Researchers acknowledged that despite their results, further research is necessary, especially in people who are initially healthy. Due to potential weaknesses in this review, experts recommend people remain with the current guidelines to reduce saturated fat consumption.The American Heart Association noted that these cohort studies, unlike clinical trials, have more difficulty controlling for the consumption of carbohydrates as a replacement macronutrient for those who consumed less saturated fat.