Are trans fats worse than saturated fats?
They should both be minimized in the diet. Both trans fats and saturated fats increase your bad cholesterol levels and your risk of heart disease. However, since trans fats may also decrease your HDL (“good”) cholesterol (and may have other harmful effects), some experts believe that trans fats may be somewhat worse for you than saturated fats. That doesn’t mean you should eat more saturated fats, or that you should substitute saturated fats for trans fats. The American Heart Association recommends an overall healthy diet and lifestyle to combat heart disease, with individuals eating less than 7 percent of total daily calories as saturated fats and less than 1 percent as trans fats. In practical terms, this means eating a diet containing a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grain products, especially whole grains; fat-free and low-fat dairy products; legumes, poultry, and lean meats; and eat fish, preferably oily fish, at least twice a week.
