Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site bbncca.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!bbncca!sdyer From: sdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer) Newsgroups: net.med Subject: Re: Partially Hydrogenated Oils Message-ID: <536@bbncca.ARPA> Date: Tue, 31-Jan-84 02:10:23 EST Article-I.D.: bbncca.536 Posted: Tue Jan 31 02:10:23 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 1-Feb-84 01:15:38 EST References: <239@pyuxss.UUCP>, <859@ihuxl.UUCP> <1148@sdccs5.UUCP> Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma. Lines: 30 Regarding commercially hydrogenated fats as being detrimental because they contain unnatural isomers: Because the hydrogenation of unsaturated fats involves the conversion of double bonds to single bonds, there can be no problem with the production of unwanted isomers during the process of hydrogenation. That is, carbons cannot rotate around a pair of double bonds, and so for any molecule asymmetric around a double bond, there are two steric possibilities: X H X X \ / \ / C==C (trans) C==C (cis) / \ / \ H X H H Adding hydrogen, however, destroys this asymmetry, regardless of whether it's done by an enzyme or by a catalyst like nickel. You end up with X-CH-CH-X 2 2 regardless of which isomer you started out with. Saturated fats are "bad" because they predispose a population towards increased cholesterol levels, which have been implicated in arteriosclerosis and heart disease. As far as your body is concerned, "Crisco" is no worse than lard, given equal saturation levels. -- /Steve Dyer decvax!bbncca!sdyer sdyer@bbncca