Trans fat and saturated fat, who is worse?

One of the biggest risk factors for heart disease is a diet high in bad fats: trans fats and saturated fats. Sources of this fat are found in meat fat, butter, margarine, coconut milk, and all fried foods. But have you ever wondered, which one is more dangerous between saturated fat and trans fat?

What is the effect on the body if you eat too much saturated fat?

Saturated fat is found in foods, such as red meat, chicken, dairy products, such as cheese and ice cream, coconut milk, butter and margarine, and milk cream that contains saturated fatty acids. You can also find saturated fat in coconut oil, palm oil and other oils that have been used for frying (used cooking) even though they were originally unsaturated fats.

Saturated fat can increase LDL cholesterol levels. Too much LDL cholesterol in the blood can cause a buildup of fat in the arteries. This can block blood flow to the heart and brain, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Most of the LDL cholesterol in the body also increases your risk of type 2 diabetes.

What is the effect on the body if you eat too much trans fat?

Trans fatty acids or trans fats are formed when liquid oils become solid fats. There are two types of trans fats found in foods: natural trans fats and artificial trans fats. Natural trans fat is produced in the intestines of some animals and the food that these animals produce. For example, milk and meat products.

Artificial trans fats (or trans fatty acids) are produced by industrial processes that add hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them denser. Most of the artificial trans fats can be found in fried foods. Foods that go through the frying process contain trans fats because the vegetable oil used for frying undergoes a hydrogenation process which produces trans fats in these foods.

These artificial trans fats from hydrogenation can also be found in many of the same foods as saturated fats, including:

Biscuits
Ready-to-use processed frozen foods
Snacks (such as potato chips, and other chips)
Fried
Fast food (fried chicken, french fries, burger)
Coffee creamer
Margarine
HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil)
Shortening

Just like saturated fats, trans fats can increase LDL cholesterol levels. Too much LDL cholesterol in the blood can cause fat to build up in the arteries and block blood flow to the heart and brain. This condition increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Most of the LDL cholesterol in the body also increases your risk of type 2 diabetes.

If so, which is worse between trans fat and saturated fat?

What makes trans fat and saturated fat a little different is their effect on the good HDL cholesterol. Saturated fat does not affect the level of good cholesterol in the blood. Meanwhile trans fats increase levels of bad cholesterol and also reduce levels of good cholesterol. The effect of lowering good cholesterol levels is what makes trans fats 2 times more dangerous than saturated fatty acids.

In the body, HDL cholesterol is responsible for transporting bad cholesterol back to the liver. In the liver, this cholesterol will be destroyed or excreted by the body through feces. HDL cholesterol is really needed by the body to prevent heart disease.

Although trans fats are more dangerous, this does not mean that you have to consume more saturated fats or replace your trans fat intake with saturated fats. The health risks between trans fats and saturated fats remain exactly the same if too much is consumed. So, both types of fat both need to reduce the portion in your daily diet.