The life span of fruit flies is cut in half! Will eating trans fats often accelerate aging and shorten life span?

The World Health Organization has warned that trans fats cause 500,000 people to die from cardiovascular disease each year, and research from Guangdong Medical University has revealed that it accelerates aging and shortens lifespan. Let's take a look at which foods contain trans fats . Every bite of trans fat shortens your lifespan.

Let's first look at a study published in Biogerontology. The researchers divided fruit flies into three groups: Group A ate a standard meal, Group B a high-sugar and high-fat diet, and Group C added trans fats to the high-sugar and high-fat diet.

The three groups of fruit flies had similar food intakes, but on the 18th and 24th days, the weight of groups B and C increased significantly. On the 24th day, group C was the heaviest, with higher levels of protein and triglycerides in its body .

The most surprising thing is that the average life span of fruit flies in group C dropped from 48 days to 24 days, which is half the life span! Moreover, trans fats aggravated the oxidative stress response of fruit flies, causing problems with movement and intestinal barrier. This clearly shows that trans fats are extremely harmful to health and increase the risk of death.

Moreover, trans fats are harmful to the human body and are even related to the onset of certain tumors. Long-term excessive intake may lead to arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease, and the blood will become viscous and prone to blood clots. It is even more harmful to children, interfering with essential fatty acid metabolism, affecting growth and development, and the health of the nervous system.

Where are trans fats hidden?

It is a fatty acid containing trans double bonds. There is a small amount of it in natural food, such as beef, mutton, and milk, so you don't need to worry too much about it.

The key is trans fats in processed foods, like partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, refined vegetable oils, and vegetable oils that have been cooked at high temperatures for a long time .

Some hydrogenated vegetable oils are resistant to high temperatures and not easy to deteriorate, so they often appear in foods such as egg yolk pies, pearl milk tea, French fries, potato chips, pastries, ice cream, and biscuits . These are the "hiding places" of trans fats.

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How to stay away from trans fats?

The World Health Organization recommends that the energy supply ratio of trans fats be less than 1%, and China's dietary guidelines suggest that adults should not consume more than 2 grams per day .

1. Check the ingredient list

Be careful when you see hydrogenated vegetable oil, hydrogenated fatty acid, refined vegetable oil, non-dairy creamer, cocoa butter substitute , etc. These may be "signals" of trans fat.

2. Change your cooking method

High-temperature cooking will turn good fats into trans fatty acids, and the longer the frying time, the more trans fatty acids will be produced. When cooking, leafy vegetables or thin slices of vegetables should be quickly stir-fried for one or two minutes when the oil is not smoking, or simmered with water and oil. For example, when stir-frying green vegetables, mix a small amount of oil and water and stir-fry quickly, which can not only cook them but also produce less trans fat.

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3. Choose the right oil

When frying, choose peanut oil , which has a high oleic acid content and good stability; refined olive oil is also fine, but do not use it repeatedly.

4. Control your meat intake

Eat less fat, streaky meat and skin of pork, beef and mutton, and eat lean meat in moderation to supplement heme iron and vitamin B1. When eating braised pork, choose lean meat to reduce trans fat and saturated fat intake.