Thread: Trans fat and weight gain?

I've always wondered this.

On this forum people regard fat as fat, carbs as carbs, protein as protein and all as calories. But arent different types of each more likely to be bad for you, like eating white bread instead of brown, trans fat instead of EFA's??
Seeing as this topic is already open. Is there any chance you can put on fat eating just below your maintenance, but eating really badly, ie trans fats, simple carbs etc?

If your below maintence then you will lose weight. Simple as that. Transfats, sugars, etc will have plenty of effects on your body but you cannot beat the law of thermodynamics.

Originally Posted by T_man

I've always wondered this.

On this forum people regard fat as fat, carbs as carbs, protein as protein and all as calories. But arent different types of each more likely to be bad for you, like eating white bread instead of brown, trans fat instead of EFA's??
Seeing as this topic is already open. Is there any chance you can put on fat eating just below your maintenance, but eating really badly, ie trans fats, simple carbs etc?

I've wondered your same questions and notice no one has an answer to it...Maybe people just don't know?

From what i understand, beef naturally has some trans fat in general, but it's good trans at. (If that makes any sense) In this case, trans fat would be counted as another calorie and the bad trans fat should as well...

The more i think about it, bad trans fat will just be another calorie. But, i really have no idea and would like a response from a reputable member on this forum...Hopefully we both get our answers.

Did you not read my post?

You only have 47 posts, we want more opinions....I would feel a tad better from a moderater, or someone who has been around for a long time.

It's kind of like buying a car from a teenager, or a man in his 40's. I would trust the older guy being more mature to not beat on the car as much. But, this is not always the case. (In general it's true)

You got me here...I would love to see more opinions...

I don't think this board has ever mentioned this...

I am not a mod but I hope this helps,

Trans fat is the common name for a type of unsaturated fat with trans-isomer fatty acid(s). Trans fats may be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated but never saturated.
Unsaturated fat is a fat molecule containing one or more double bonds between the carbon atoms. Since the carbons are double-bonded to each other, there are fewer bonds available for hydrogen, so there are fewer hydrogen atoms, hence "unsaturated". Cis and trans are terms that refer to the arrangement of chains of carbon atoms across the double bond. In the cis arrangement, the chains are on the same side of the double bond, resulting in a kinked geometry. In the trans arrangement, the chains are on opposite sides of the double bond, and the chain is straight overall.

The process of hydrogenation is intended to add hydrogen atoms(that means it's not natural) to cis-unsaturated fats, eliminating a double bond and making them more saturated. These saturated fats have a higher melting point, which makes them attractive for baking and extends their shelf-life. However, the process frequently has a side effect that turns some cis-isomers into trans-unsaturated fats instead of hydrogenating them completely.

There is another class of trans fats, vaccenic acid, which occurs naturally in trace amounts in meat and dairy products from ruminants.

Unlike other dietary fats, trans fats are not essential, and they do not promote good health[1]. The consumption of trans fats increases one's risk of coronary heart disease[2] by raising levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and lowering levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.[3] Health authorities worldwide recommend that consumption of trans fat be reduced to trace amounts. Trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils are more harmful than naturally occurring oils.[4]

A type of trans fat occurs naturally in the milk and body fat of ruminants (such as cattle and sheep) at a level of 2–5% of total fat.[27] Natural trans fats, which include conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and vaccenic acid, originate in the rumen of these animals. However, CLA is also a cis fat.

It has been established that trans fats in human milk fluctuate with maternal consumption of trans fat, and that the amount of trans fats in the bloodstream of breastfed infants fluctuates with the amounts found in their milk. Reported percentages of trans fats (compared to total fats) in human milk range from 1% in Spain, 2% in France, 4% in Germany, and 7% in Canada.[29]

IMO Pregnant womens should me more careful ultimately they are passing over the trans fat while breast feeding.

Their recommendations are based on two key facts. First, "trans fatty acids are not essential and provide no known benefit to human health",[1] whether of animal or plant origin.[33] Second, while both saturated and trans fats increase levels of LDL cholesterol (so-called bad cholesterol), trans fats also lower levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol);[2] thus increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. The NAS is concerned "that dietary trans fatty acids are more deleterious with respect to coronary heart disease than saturated fatty acids".[2] This analysis is supported by a 2006 New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) scientific review that states "from a nutritional standpoint, the consumption of trans fatty acids results in considerable potential harm but no apparent benefit."[4]

The exact biochemical methods by which trans fats produce specific health problems are a topic of continuing research. The most prevalent theory is that the human lipase enzyme is specific to the cis configuration. A lipase is a water-soluble enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of ester bonds in water-insoluble, lipid substrates. Lipases thus comprise a subclass of the esterases. Lipases perform essential roles in the digestion, transport and processing of dietary lipids (e.g. triglycerides, fats, oils) in most – if not all – living organisms. The human lipase enzyme is ineffective with the trans configuration, so trans fat remains in the blood stream for a much longer period of time and is more prone to arterial deposition and subsequent plaque formation. While the mechanisms through which trans fats contribute to coronary heart disease are fairly well understood, the mechanism for trans fat's effect on diabetes is still under investigation.

IMO if your body doesn't need it why loadup with it? Though I agree it's not completely possible to eliminate trans fat from diet.


Source :- Trans fat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

First of all by definition maintence is the calories needed to maintain weight so eating below means you have to lose weight or eating above it will make you gain weight. So the way you asked your question there is only one answer. If your eating at maintence including transfat, you will not gain weight. That comes simply by the definition of maintence calories.

Now what your probably wanting to know is if eating a diet with transfat will have an effect on your maintence levels. Say you maintain on 2500 and eat zero transfat or eat 2500 with 10gs of transfat a day. Will the addition of transfat lower your maintence and cause weight gain? I would say probably not but honestly I don't know.

As for my post, I am new to this board but on plenty of other boards I got 5000+ post with regard to diet/nutrition and training.

Originally Posted by Unreal

Now what your probably wanting to know is if eating a diet with transfat will have an effect on your maintence levels. Say you maintain on 2500 and eat zero transfat or eat 2500 with 10gs of transfat a day. Will the addition of transfat lower your maintence and cause weight gain? I would say probably not but honestly I don't know.

As for my post, I am new to this board but on plenty of other boards I got 5000+ post with regard to diet/nutrition and training.

Yes, that was my question. If you understood what i meant, then why didn't you answer it that way in the first place?