Marks and Spencer remove hydrogenated fats from their shelves.
 
 
Marks and Spencer are among the chains of supermarkets that have decided to remove products with hydrogenated fats from their shelves. Hydrogenated fats have been proven to be harmful though there is still some resistance from the public and food companies to stop using them. These measures follow the action of lobbies and decisions of food chains like Wendy's or Frito-Lay to scrap their use. In the UK, companies like KFC, Mc Donald's and Harry Ramdsen are also looking into using healthier alternatives. These substances are often found in processed types of foods such as cakes, pastries, chips and margarines and are associated with the so called trans fats.
 
The trans fats are obtained processing vegetable oils and are harmful in their final form. It is also possible to find them in natural form in small amounts in meat and dairy products though those pose no harm. Food manufacturers treat these vegetable oils by injecting hydrogen in them in order to improve their texture, flavour and to stop them from decaying. KFC and Kraft foods, the makers of Oreo cookies have defended themselves by arguing that the taste of their products would change if they were manufactured with different materials
 
The effect of them in the body is double since they decrease the levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and increase the amount of harmful cholesterol (LDL). Also these types of oil do not offer any nutritional value. Among the diseases they can trigger are heart failure, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Liz Applegate from the University of California has also warned that trans fats are a health harzard to people of all ages. Her team did found deposits of bad cholesterol even in the arteries of children.
 
Wheightlossresources has pointed to the absence of legislation in the UK that requires food companies to declare how much trans oils are in their products. Other countries like the US have made it mandatory to specify the amount of these ingredients in food and they are contemplating removing these types of products altogether. Experts also warn that we can make mistakes when reading the labels in order to calculate the minimum of trans fats we can actually tolerate. (no more than 1 percent of all the calories taken in 1 day)