Trans fats are bad for you, right? Yes — and no.
Trans fats (those fats that are a by-product of the manufacture of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and that are used in some margarines and commercial baked goods) have had plenty of bad press over the past few years, being linked with a variety of inflammatory conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.
However, a type of natural trans fat found in whole milk, cheese, yoghurt and butter, called trans-palmitoleic acid (TPA), may have the opposite effect.
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Researchers at Harvard University’s Public School of Health tracked 3736 men and women over a period of 20 years, and evaluated their risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as levels of blood glucose, insulin, and fatty acids.
At the end of the study, those participants who had the highest blood levels of TPA had healthier levels of blood cholesterol and insulin, lower inflammatory markers, and a 60 percent reduction in their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
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