Many had been led to believe that soya bean oil, canola oil, sunflower
oil etc. are healthy and great for the heart. This deception started
way back in the 80s when the soya-bean oil lobby made a presentation
to the then FDA and AHA and argued that coconut oil was unhealthy. The
incidences of heart diseases was on the rise and no one really knew
what was the cause of this increases. Cholesterol was blamed even
when evidences at that time did not support it. Keyes argument that
dietary saturated fat was the cause of it gained currency when
evidences were scant and dubious.

The basis of the recommendation was a little known study where
HYDROGENATED COCONUT OIL was used in a study of mice. This study was
in the 50s and Keyes made an accurate observation then that trans-fat
was the cause of arterial clogging and that was the cause of heart
diseases. But his observation was rejected but the saturated fat was
given a bad reputation. Today saturated fat such as coconut oil and
palm oil and animal fat were badly maligned to the point that it has
become a false truth that is passed on from doctors to patients and in
government campaigns to help the nation to be healthier. The
result ? Huge increases in heart attacks and stroke. And today the
reason has become clear.....and it is not because of cholesterol.

Fast forward to the 90s and countless studies pointed at transfat
as the fat that is causing all the heart diseases. Unfortunately
transfat was classified as saturated fat by FDA. So all studies
indicating that saturated fat was bad for the heart in one broad
stroke labelled all saturated fat such as coconut oil.

Studies that distinguish between transfat and saturated fat such
as lauric acid or capric acid found that saturated fat actually has
remarkable health benefit. This was why many population in the
tropics have little or no heart diseases. Sri lanka was a very good
example. Before saturated fat was maligned coconut oil was used
extensively in sri lanka and heart diseases was almost unheard of. The
government upon the lobby of "healthy oil" industry decided to
campaign against coconut oil. Within a decade heart diseases and
stroke shot up.

When evidences mounted and can no longer be ignored FDA issued
an order in 2006 that all products containing trans-fat have to be
labelled as containing transfat. Such labelling became mandatory due
to the dangers of long term consumption of this fat. The confectionary
industry love transfat such as margarine because food using this fat
can be kept for a long time without going bad. Saturated fat such as
coconut oil also has such an effect but because it is so expensive
today that it is no longer being used.

What is transfat ? Normal oil at room temperature is liquid in
form. To make it like butter oil is heated to very high temperature
and then hydrogen is passed through it. The fatty acids combined
together to form into solid. Such fats do not exists in nature and
when we consume it our body do not know what to do with it. It is also
found that those oil that was thought to be healthy (temperate oil
such as soya bean oil) actually breaks down even at low temperature
and recombined into transfat.

In the study in the 50s where HYDROGENATED COCONUT OIL was used
to study the effect of saturated fat on mice, all the mice died of
heart failure. When the mice was dissected the researchers found that
ALL the mice had arterial clogging. And coconut oil , rather than the
transfat, was blamed. At that time the bad effects of transfat was
not known.

So where is transfat found in today's products ? Almost
everywhere. A study done by FDA in 1999 found that trans fat is in
100%% crackers, 95%% cookies, 80%% frozen breakfast foods, 75%% of salty
snacks and chips, 70%% of cake mixes, and almost half of all cereals.
Transfats are found in vegetable shortening, doughnuts, stick
margarine, french fries and microwaved popcorn. This also means that
almost all confectionary products contain trans-fat.

In Britain, in 2004 Which? magazine published a study testing 30
popular foods found :

* a portion of regular crispy strips and freis from Kentucky
fried chicken, contain 4.4 grams of trans fat.

* Macdonald's mcNuggets and regular fries - 3 grams of transfats.

* Testco's toffe fudge shortbread contained 2.5 grams of transfat

* Cadbury's boost bar had 1.2 grams of transfat.

In the US after the FDA directive many large organisations
started removing transfats from its products and today many of them
are proudly labelling their product as "Do not contain transfat".
These came about when McDonald and Kentucky Fried Chicken were sued in
class action suits and settled out of court.

Soya bean oil and other temperate oil which had been hailed as
healthy and expensive are least suitable for cooking as it breaks down
easily. These oil are not healthy and due to the deception propagated
and perpetuated by the media and government campaign many continue to
use them. Today in the west the truth had come to light and yet in
the asian countries this deception continue to be passed on as truth.

When will our governments do what is right by her people ?