Is Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil on your Ingredient List?

Hydrogenated vegetable oil is very common in many foods. This creates a low production cost and long shelf life. 

Typically oils are liquid at room temperature, but oils are susceptible to oxidation. So companies use hydrogenation to add more hydrogen into the oil and make it solid and less prone to oxidation. These hydrogenated vegetable oils contain unsaturated fats, which can sustain high temperature and still maintain their structure. Due to this, they primarily used in baked products.

Unfortunately, hydrogenated vegetable oils are linked with many adverse health effects.

It can impair blood sugar control and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. This happens because unsaturated fats make the body tissues more and more resistant to insulin. The body starts to produce more insulin, and those tissues will get more insulin resistant. Insulin resistance is the primary cause of type 2 diabetes. 

It can  increase inflammation in your body. Inflammation is at the root of most diseases. Acute inflammation is a normal immune response that protects us against several illness and infections. Chronic information can contribute to many diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart diseases. (Learn more)

Hydrogenated vegetable oils can contribute significantly to heart diseases. Studies revealed that it could increase the bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body, which in result can cause arterial plaques and can also cause atherosclerosis. All these factors can increase blood pressure and generate restricted blood flow, which results in heart diseases.

Increased consumption of hydrogenated vegetable oils can cause weight gain. It increases LDL, which causes increased fat storage in the body. Increased LDL causes blockage in the arteries and increase far storage in the liver, which can result in fatty liver disease. And further causes the fat storage around the belly area.

Before you bring a processed food to the check out line, check the ingredient list!