Telling hidden dietary trans fats to get lost!

“Lost in Translation” is a 2003 Sofia Coppola film about a once-was movie star (Bill Murray) who lost his twinkle, until he meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) in a hotel in Tokyo. Their friendship is powerful and disruptive, and it’s hard to know exactly where it will lead them.

Fortunately, you know exactly where the result of “lost trans fats” will lead you: Away from a major cause of heart attack, stroke and maybe brain dysfunction and cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration has banned these hydrogenated oils from foods—sort of. They did say that what’s already been manufactured with trans fats may be sold to consumers, and they extended the date for some food companies to find a substitute that preserves texture, taste and shelf life. So it seems like a transfat-free grocery store would be complete by 2020. Right? Not so fast. Turns out trans fats are present naturally in some foods—notably beef, pork, lamb, butter and milk, all animal proteins that also are loaded with highly inflammatory, heart-clogging saturated fat.

How do they get there? Bacteria in animals’ stomachs hydrogenate the fatty oils that they consume through their feed. One study found that eating lots of natural or artificial trans fats is equally likely to up your risk for heart disease.

So if you want trans fats to get lost for good, KO red meats and dairy from your diet. Then bodywide inflammation and increased risk of chronic diseases is what you’ll lose in your transition!