Why Does Hydrogenation Make Food Less Healthy?

Hydrogenation is a process that uses hydrogen to convert liquid oil into a solid or semi-solid form. It is a common process used to make many of the foods we consume today.

Hydrogenated oils are used in margarine, shortening, baked goods, snack foods and fried foods. While hydrogenation has been around for centuries and is an important part of the food industry, it has been linked to some health risks.

One of the main health concerns associated with hydrogenated oils is trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids are created during the hydrogenation process when hydrogen atoms are added to unsaturated fats.

These trans fats can increase levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol while simultaneously lowering HDL (good) cholesterol levels in your body. This can lead to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke as well as other health complications.

Another potential risk associated with consuming hydrogenated oils is inflammation. Studies have shown that these oils can cause inflammation in the body due to their high concentration of saturated fat and trans fat molecules. This inflammation can contribute to a variety of diseases such as diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome and certain types of cancer.

Finally, consuming these processed foods has also been linked to weight gain. Hydrogenation makes food more calorie-dense, which means it contains more calories per gram than its unprocessed counterparts. This means that you will be consuming more calories than you would if you were eating unprocessed foods.

Conclusion:

Hydrogenation makes food less healthy due to the presence of trans fatty acids, inflammation caused by high concentrations of saturated fat and trans fat molecules and the increased caloric density leading to weight gain. Therefore, it is important for people looking to improve their health status to limit their intake of processed foods that contain hydrogenated oils.