What are trans fats and PHOs?

Source: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN OIL CHEMISTS’ SOCIETYSUNDAY TIMES GRAPHICS

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE VERY BADThe fats we eat can generally be divided into unsaturated fats, saturated fats and trans fats.

THE GOOD: UNSATURATED FAT• Considered healthy• Lowers bad cholesterol• Protects against cardiovascular diseases (CVD) like heart attack and stroke

Further divided into:Monounsaturated fatsOlive oil, avocados, nuts

Polyunsaturated fatsSun�ower oil, �sh (omega-3), �axseed

THE BAD: SATURATED FAT• Considered unhealthy• Raises bad cholesterol• Raises risk of CVD

Red meat, milk, cheese

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C C C C

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C C

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C C C C

H

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C C

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Liquid at room temperature

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CH

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Solid at room temperature

THE VERY BAD:TRANS FAT• Considered very unhealthy• Raises bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol• Raises risk of CVD by 10 times more than saturated fat.

Small amount in meat and dairy but mostly from PHOs

Solid or semi-solid at room temperature

PHOs:INDUSTRIALLY CREATEDPartially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to vegetable oil to harden it.

Hydrogenation converts unsaturated fat into saturated fat but creates trans fat as part of the process. When the oil is fully hydrogenated, it contains little trans fat.

FAT LEVELSDURING HYDROGENATION

Amou

nt o

f fat

Nothydrogenated

Partiallyhydrogenated

Fullyhydrogenated

Saturatedfat

Unsaturatedfat

Trans fat

Pump

Hydrogenatedoil

Hydrogen gas added as pressurised bubbles at the base of the machine

Hydrogengas

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Catalyst

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H

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C C C C

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Liquid at room temperature times more than saturated fat.

Small amount in meat and dairy but mostly from PHOs

Solid or semi-solid at room temperature

Partially hydrogenated oil (PHO) is used to keep foods like peanut butter and other fat spreads fresh for longer. It also helps to maintain a stable consistency by preventing the oil in peanut butter from separating. Manufacturers are increasingly replacing PHOs with fully hydrogenated oils or palm oil, which are high in saturated fats but low in trans fats. These healthier substitutes can offer similar functional bene�ts to PHOs.