We have known for a long time that trans fats are bad for your waistline and your heart, but trans fats could also be affecting your anger management, according to a study from the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.
Researchers there assessed the behavior of 945 men and women to figure out the connection, if any, between dietary trans fats and feelings of aggression or irritability. Indeed, they found trans fats can lead to raging tempers!
The study, published online in the journal PLoS ONE, is the first to link trans fats and bad behavior toward others. “We found that greater trans fatty acids were significantly associated with greater aggression, and were more consistently predictive of aggression and irritability, across the measures tested, than the other known aggression predictors that were assessed,” said Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, an associate professor at the UC San Diego Department of Medicine who led the study, in a UCSD press release.
What Are Trans Fats?
While trans fats exist naturally in relatively small amounts in certain animal-based foods like meat and whole milk, the source of trans fats in most foods is liquid oils that have been turned into solids like hard margarine and shortening through a process called “hydrogenation”. Under certain conditions, sending hydrogen through oil can cause the oils to change in thickness and saturation and even become solids (think margarine or Crisco). This can give foods a certain taste and texture and it can increase the shelf life of processed food. This is a man-made, artificial “fat” that the body is not well equipped to break down, utilize, or eliminate.
Trans fats are often found in processed foods. Trans fats are commonly found in fried foods, store-bought salad dressings, pie crusts, muffins, chips, baked goods and more.
Trans Fats Are Bad For Health, Including Mental Health
A Marchthe 1993 paper in the journal The Lancet at Harvard University from the Nurses’ Health Study found an increase in coronary heart disease related to the intake of trans fat. This was after years of the American Heart Association demonizing the saturated fat from butter and hailing margarine as a “heart healthy” substitute!
Trans fat is linked to heart disease. This kind of fat has been shown to raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol—which can increase the risk of heart problems and even type-2 diabetes. Trans fat builds up plaque in arteries, which could eventually lead to heart attack. A 2014 study also suggested that eating a lot of trans fat could be linked to memory issues. In 2013, the FDA determined that hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils do not meet their distinction of “generally recognized as safe” for human consumption.
A Spanish study that looked at more than 12,000 people revealed a 48% increase in rates of depression in people who had higher levels of trans fats in their blood. It seems these unhealthy fats can increase inflammation in the brain, which is directly linked to depression. Studies have also shown that high levels of trans fats may reduce serotonin production in the brain, leading to depression as well as adversely affecting memory.
Our brains rely on natural fats to create and maintain cell membranes and carry fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. But trans fats can cause cellular destruction, wreak havoc on hormone production, adversely affect memory and increase inflammation in the brain.
Since brain tissue is made mostly of fat, it makes sense that better-quality fat makes a better brain. In light of this research, the years of hydrogenated peanut butter and trans fat-laden snack foods may be coming to a well-deserved end.
Man-made trans fats do not behave as natural fats do in the body. Trans fats can lead to serious health complications including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, low birth rate, obesity and immune dysfunction. They also have serious consequences on brain health.
How Can We Avoid Trans Fats?
One recent March report found that 37% of foods in grocery stores may contain trans fat. Food companies are currently allowed to say they have zero trans fat, and label the product as such if they contain less than 0.5 grams per serving. Many experts say trans fats are unsafe even at that level. The good news is the FDA says that between 2003 to 2012 trans fat consumption has declined by about 78%.
In 2003 Denmark began leading the way with legislation that limited trans fats in the country’s food. Their law did not ban the substance, but it did force manufacturers to limit its use—any food could only have up to 2 percent of its fat made of trans fat, substantially shrinking the presence. Later, Austria, Switzerland, Iceland, and Sweden followed suit. And parts of the U.S., including New York City and California, independently took action in recent years to pass legislative limits on trans fat in the food served in restaurants.
Eliminate trans fats from your diet by checking labels and avoiding processed and fried foods that you do not prepare yourself. Also, avoid foods whose ingredient lists include hydrogenated vegetable oil or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Instead, consume healthy natural fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, nuts, and butter which are better for your body and brain health. Eat more whole, real food, and less packaged food!
Processed foods like baked and frozen products are most likely to contain trans fat. According to the FDA, here are some foods that commonly contain it:
Fats That Are Good For You and Your Brain:
For the sake of your heart and your mood, say “No” to trans fats!
Great article. But a little mistake. It’s omega 3 that you find in shrimp, fish oil, etc., not omega 6.
Thank you so much for your comment! Almost everything that contains omega 3 also contains omega 6 and vice versa. There are some exceptions where some foods contain only one or the other. In almost all of those cases, omega 6 will be present but not omega 3. The only exceptions I can think of to that would be moose liver and agar which, at least in small amounts, contain omega 3 and no omega 6. It’s possible that testing larger amounts would detect the presence of omega 6 in those cases too, but possibly not. Most things that have only one of the two types will have omega 6. This includes coconut, molasses, maple syrup, watermelon, cabbage, celery, mushrooms, and pears. With the exception of coconut oil, the amounts of omega 6 are relatively small in those foods. I changed the wording to show that all of the foods mentioned contain both omega 3’s and omega 6’s. The important thing to know about those is that most foods contain both but are often weighted much more heavily to one or the other. Learning how much of each type is contained in specific foods can help us ensure that we are consuming them in the correct ratio of 1:1 – 1:4. Hope that helps!
Great post! It’s good to hear that 78% had declined trans fat consumption. Thanks for sharing this informative article! 🙂
I have bookmarked your blog’s URL and keep waiting for your post eagerly. So happy that you posted again.