PLANO, Texas (AP) -- Frito-Lay Inc., whose chips are frequently a target for nutritionists, said Tuesday it would eliminate an especially harmful type of fat from its products and offer more reduced-fat snacks.
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Sept. 26, 2002
By Mary Pickett, M.D.
Harvard Medical School
How does this article relate to me?
It is easy to get confused about fats, calories and cholesterol. One change that Frito-Lay plans to make is to use a more healthy cooking fat. The change in cooking fats is not going to affect calorie counts or obesity for people who select this brand of snack, but it could improve heart health.
In one recent study, American volunteers who were asked to read representative food packages and labels did a terrible job at interpreting which snacks had the healthiest fat content. A quick review of the fats is in order:
- Saturated fats: These fats are not healthy for you. They raise your LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol.) They are the fats in animal and dairy products, and in coconut oil and palm oil. Like all fats, they are high in calories (9 calories per gram).
- Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated unsaturated fats: These man-made fats are heated in such a way that they behave as solids at room temperature, they dont become rancid when they are heated as commercial deep-frying oils, and they have a long shelf-life. Unfortunately, the heating (hydrogenating) process changes corn, cottonseed, safflower or other vegetable oils into products that are as harmful to your cholesterol as are saturated fats. Moreover, chemically altered fat molecules called trans fats are formed as an unwanted byproduct. Vegetable shortening and margarine are mostly hydrogenated fats, although softer forms of margarine have fewer hydrogenated fats.
- Trans fats: These structurally abnormal fats are the very worst fats. They are roughly twice as bad for LDL and HDL cholesterol as are saturated fats. They have not been definitely shown to cause cancer in people, although this has been an area of controversy and concern. They have been clearly demonstrated to be the unhealthiest fats for your heart health. Any product that has hydrogenated fats contains trans fats. They are also found in small amounts in meat products.
- Polyunsaturated fats: These fats are not the best and not the worst. They are not as damaging to the LDL level, but they reduce the HDL (good cholesterol) level. Polyunsaturated fats make up vegetable oils (including corn, cottonseed, and safflower oils) and fish oils. Fish oils contain among their fats the Omega 3 fatty acids that are credited with improving triglycerides and decreasing the formation of harmful blood clots.
- Monounsaturated fats: These are the doctors choice for dietary fat. These fats send both the HDL and the LDL cholesterol levels in the right directions when they are substituted for other fat types. They include olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil.
- Fat substitutes: These are lower calorie and do not affect cholesterol. They are modified starches, cellulose and gum. They dont taste like fats, but they offer a similar solid texture.
- Olestra: This man-made, uncommonly used designer ingredient was made to be completely indigestible. It is made with vegetable fat and sucrose that are chemically combined. Although it contains a lot of calories, they go right through you. It has not been a great success, largely because it causes uncomfortable abdominal symptoms and oily leaky stools.
What changes do I need to make?
Whatever your snacking habits, do what you can to decrease saturated fats and trans fats (hydrogenated fats) in your diet. We have no uncertainty about their effects on your heart health. The best of several convincing studies that related saturated and trans fats to heart disease was a very large study called the Nurses Health Study II, which has observed nearly 89,000 women for a full 14 years. This study recorded dietary habits and watched for heart disease. Doctors concluded from this study that if 5 percent of your total calories can be changed from saturated fat to unsaturated fat (without changing your total fat or calorie intake) then your risk of heart attack or death from heart disease will decrease 42 percent. If even 2 percent of your total calories can be changed from trans fat to unsaturated fat that is not hydrogenated, then your heart attack and cardiac death risk will reduce by 53 percent.
What can I expect in the future?
Deep fat frying has been in the news this week not only because of the trans fat issue, but also because of a separate concern. The World Health Organization met this week to discuss concerns about a chemical called acrylamide, a byproduct of high-temperature cooking of starches. Acrylamide has been demonstrated to cause cancer, infertility and neuropathy in animals. As we learn more about this new concern, we may find ourselves laying down our chips.
Related Areas:
Smart Snacking
Fats
Replacing Bad Fats With The Good Ones
