Trans fats are also listed as monoglycerides, diglycerides, and hydrogenated fats on ingredient labels.The Dangers of Eating Trans Fats During Pregnancy
Trans fats, also known as trans fatty acids, are present in many foods today at the grocery store. Though they are nearly ubiquitous in highly processed foods, fast foods, and many of the foods available in restaurants throughout the world, trans fats are unnatural and they have serious effects on health. In pregnant women, eating trans fats is especially dangerous.
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Trans fats are chemically different from natural forms of fat in foods. They’re chemically different in that they have one or more double bonds in the trans configuration instead of the usual cis configuration. These double bonds in the trans configuration cause trans fats to be more firm and more stable in margarines and shortenings. So, trans fats are used by Big Food to produce food products that look more appealing and that have a longer shelf life than natural food products that are less toxic to human health. Because trans fats have a longer shelf life, products that contain them are more profitable to the food industry. But people who consume trans fats pay a huge cost in terms of their health. Trans fats are toxic to everyone, but they are especially toxic to children who may be exposed to trans fats inside the womb.Diseases Caused by Trans Fats
Research has shown that there’s a direct connection between trans fats and breast cancer, colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, nervous system disorders, diabetes, obesity, and allergies. During pregnancy, trans fats increase the risk of preeclampsia as well as premature labor. Trans fats are unnatural, synthetic forms of fat so the consumption of this form of toxin affects every human cell in the body. Human cells, after all, have a cellular membrane made up of healthy fats. Healthy fats have a natural “electrical” nature that allows them to capture photons of light from the sun and also communicate with other cells that have a healthy cellular membrane made of natural fats. So while research has documented the fact that trans fats cause breast cancer and colon cancer as well as diabetes, heart disease, and nervous system diseases like dementia, the fact is, trans fats also play a role in causing autoimmune diseases, chronic pain disorders, and more.
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Trans Fats in Fetal Development
Though scientific studies decades ago initially indicated that trans fats didn’t cross the placenta, more recent studies have shown otherwise. Indeed, trans fats are transferred across the placenta such that newborn babies have trans fatty acids in their blood supply at the same levels as their mothers. The health consequences of being exposed to trans fats during rapid development should not be underestimated.
High intake of trans fats can inhibit the formation of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids that are vital in the growth of the fetus, in particular the development of the central nervous system, and vision. When an infant and mother have high levels of trans fatty acids in the blood, the infant typically has low levels of healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids. A lack of these polyunsaturated fatty acids can cause a variety of health issues in the newborn infant.
Women who consume trans fats during lactation also pass these trans fatty acids on to their infants while breastfeeding. A fetus or an infant who is exposed to trans fats inside the uterus or through breast feeding may develop structural development problems or metabolic diseases.
High trans fat levels shorten the gestation period which means that the consumption of trans fats can actually lead to preterm birth / prematurity in infants. On the other hand, omega-3 fatty acids tend to prolong pregnancy by inhibiting the contraction of uterine cells via their effect on the ion channels in those cells. Some scientists believe that trans fats have the opposite effect on uterine cells causing contractions and early labor as a result of their toxicity. That makes sense and it is yet another compelling reason to avoid these toxic substances which are found in nearly all processed foods including fast foods and most of the food choices you’d find in chain restaurants across the United States.
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What Causes Preeclampsia? Trans Fats
The consumption of trans fats significantly increases the risk of preeclampsia in pregnant women. Preeclampsia is a dangerous health condition that involves high blood pressure that develops suddenly during pregnancy. The presence of trans fatty acids in red blood cell walls is positively associated with the development of preeclampsia during pregnancy. Women who had 30% higher than normal levels of trans fats in their red blood cells were in the greatest danger of developing preeclampsia.If you are at a known risk of developing preeclampsia you should avoid trans fats and instead seek out healthy fats like omega 3s and omega 6s in products like natural cod liver oil, as these fats help sustain pregnancy, promote full-term birth, and healthy fetal development.
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How to Avoid Trans Fats During Pregnancy
If you’re committed to avoiding trans fats during pregnancy, you’ll have to avoid all processed foods, including foods prepared in a restaurant unless you know all of theingredients in the food items that you order on the menu. Avoid snack foods which also contain trans fats, often listed under deceptive names like Mono-glycerides or Di-glycerides. The food industry constantly changes the names used to delineate the presence of trans fats and they don’t have to list the trans fats under the nutrition facts as long as there is less than 1 gram of trans fats per serving. This is the tricky thing about food labels. If a food manufacturer wants to say that a particular product is free of trans fats, they can simply change their serving size to make it so that there is less than 1 gram of trans fats per serving. Then, according to the rules and regulations set by Big Food, the product technically contains only a negligible amount of trans fat per serving, even if most people eat 3-4 servings in one sitting. Trans fats were the first toxic ingredient in food that Lydian and I worked to eliminate from our diets more than 15 years ago. We suffered from digestive problems as we got rid of trans fats from our diets and quickly realized that trans fats caused us a lot of pain including headaches, intestinal cramping, and fatigue when we would accidentally consume them. Trans fats are hidden in most commercial bread products because they make the bread soft and “springy”. Consider getting a bread machine and make your own bread using whole wheat flour, which is easier on the gallbladder than white flour. Choose a non-brominated flour product to make homemade bread. Trans fats are nearly ubiquitous in restaurant foods in the United States. Outside of the United States, trans fats are a bit less ubiquitous, but be especially vigilant about their presence in chain restaurants that are obviously profit-centric and entertainment (not health)-centric. Trans fats are money-savers which is why restaurants use them. Big Food promotes the use of trans fats in part because Big Food is a branch of Big Pharma and trans fats promote the development of serious diseases that are extremely profitable for Big Pharma. If you must eat dinner in restaurants, consider taking your own bottles of virgin olive oil or, better yet, grapeseed oil and vinegar and order salads that do not contain cheese, ham, or other food items that are often high in toxins. This may seem extreme, but eliminating trans fats is essential during pregnancy as fats are what make our cells function properly. Trans fats that corrupt the healthy cells in the baby’s cell walls can disrupt the functioning of the entire cell. In other words, if you consume a lot of healthy fats, but just a few trans fats, these trans fats can still disrupt the functioning of your baby’s cells in addition to disrupting the functioning of your uterine cells to cause preterm birth. To avoid trans fats during pregnancy, shop around the outside of the grocery store. Choose fresh fruits and vegetables and make your own bread using a bread machine. Read ingredient labels, not just the Nutrition Facts to determine whether trans fats are in the product that you intend to purchase. Download the most current list of names used by the food industry to designate the presence of trans fats and keep it with you while shopping. Often, foods that contain more than 3 ingredients contain 1 or more toxin. Choose foods that contain fewer than 3 ingredients. These 3 ingredients should all be natural items that you know and recognize.
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Resources:
• Dhaka, V. et al. (2011). Trans fats–sources, health risks, and alternative approach - A review. Retrieved February 3, 2023 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3551118/
• Mojska, H. (2003). Influence of trans fatty acids on infant and fetus development. Retrieved February 3, 2023 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15058815/
• Innis (2006). Trans fatty intakes durign pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood. Retrieved February 3, 2023 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16713384/
