Immune function - TFAs interfere with both B and T cell function, thus reducing immune response. Fertility and Reproduction - TFAs interfere with enzymes needed to produce sex hormones; they decrease the levels of testosterone in male animals and increase the levels of abnormal sperm.
Lactation - TFAs lowers the overall fat content in mother’s milk in both animals and humans, thus compromising the nourishment to the infant. TFAs can cross the mammary gland into mother’s milk and interfere with neurological and visual development of the infant.
Development and Growth - TFAs can cross the placenta, creating many problems for the developing fetus including low birth weight; they also interfere with the formation of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids needed for growth and development, especially development of the brain.
Obesity - Women who consume TFAs weight more then women who do not consume TFAs even though the caloric intake is the same.
The increased intake of biologically abnormal TFAs derived from hydrogenated vegetable oils correlates more significantly to the 20th century increase in heart disease and cancer, including breast cancer, than any other dietary change. (Townsend Newsletter (Oct. 1989).
In 1900, cardiovascular disease killed one in seven people. Now, it kills one in two people. This is over a 350 percent increase in the past 111 years in spite of, or perhaps because of advances in technology. (Healing Fats, Killing Fats, by Udo Erasmus, 1990)
The “nurses study” which involved 80,000 female nurses with 14 years (1989-2003) of follow-up, revealed that for 2% of energy intake from TFAs there was a 95% risk of non-death myocardial infarction or death from coronary heart disease.
Some city governments in the USA have attempted to tackle this serious health problem by outlawing the use of TFAs in restaurants. This needs to be done on a national level and in other countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific region, where a large number the population obtain most of their meals from fast food outlets. Samoa and the Cook Islands now have among the fattest people in the world that are dying early. Consumption of damaged fats and oils in a junk food diet combined with soda are a major contributing factors.
Unless major changes are made, the long term consequence of damaged fat/oil consumption will only further exacerbate our modern degenerative diseases, obesity, and mental illness. To learn more about this go to http://www.westonaprice.org/ and, the interview with Dr. Enig and Dr. Richard Passwater www.drpasswater.com Health Risks from Processed Foods and Trans Fats Part 1 Health Risks from Processed Foods and Trans Fats Part 2 Health Risks from Processed Foods and Trans Fats Part 3
Homogenization is another process that extends shelf life. However, this process breaks up large, digested fat globules into droplets, which are able to bypass digestion. These droplets are then absorbed into the bloodstream, carrying with them a destructive enzyme called xanthine oxidase (XO) that damages arteries. Heart disease is more prevalent in countries where homogenized milk is consumed. AVOID homogenized milk and its products.
GMOs
To side step the TFA problem, the giant oil industry is now genetically modifying (GM) their oils. However, genetically modified (GMOs) fats/oils, such as Canola oil and margarine are foreign to the body, play havoc with bodily systems and have unknown long-term consequences. Increases in asthma and allergies are but a few of the symptoms. In addition, these GM fats/oils appear to be changing the normal shape of the human body. For example, a person may develop an overly large fatty (turkey) neck, thighs, hips, or stomach that no amount of exercise can eliminate. These abnormal body shapes have become a common sight among consumers of these GM damaged fats/oils.
Canola is one of Canada’s chief exports and also a large crop in Australia. Canola oil is widely used
in thousands of processed/prepared food products, restaurants, and even many so called health food products. Some well known commercial brands of peanut butter have replaced the natural peanut oil with Canola oil to make it more spreadable.