Body Effects
Trans fats have been scientifically linked to increasing your risk of coronary heart disease and increasing the likelihood of infertility in women. Recent studies show it can also have a big effect on your physical appearance.
In a six-year study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, trans fats were shown to redistribute body fat to the abdomen.
Two groups of male monkeys were given the same amount of daily calories, 35% of which came from fat. One group got 8% of their calorie intake from trans fat while the other group received those calories as monounsaturated fat.
The group of monkeys given the 8% trans fat diet had a 7.2% increase in body weight. All that extra weight went to the abdomen, including some other body fat that was reallocated to the abdomen.
Medical imaging scans showed that the monkeys on the trans fat diet had as much as 30% more abdominal fat than the monkeys on the monounsaturated fat diet.
Researchers say the amount of trans fat consumed by the group of monkeys who gained weight in their abdomen is comparable to people who eat a lot of fried foods.