What we get wrong about trans-fats: Cardiologist busts 10 dangerous myths
From "zero trans-fat" labels and home cooking assumptions to cholesterol myths, a cardiologist explains why these fats remain a silent but serious threat to heart health
 "What we get wrong about trans-fats: Cardiologist busts 10 dangerous myths")
Trans-fats are often treated as a settled nutrition issue. Most people believe they belong firmly in the past, banned, labelled out, or confined to junk food stalls. Yet they continue to sneak into everyday diets, aided by confusing food labels, half-truths on social media, and outdated dietary beliefs.
While trans-fats are commonly associated with high cholesterol, their impact on the body goes far beyond lipid numbers. The damage they cause is slow, cumulative, and often invisible until a heart attack or stroke makes it impossible to ignore.
For this week’s Fact-check Friday, we spoke to Dr Dibyaranjan Behera, Consultant - Interventional Cardiologist at Manipal Hospital, to unpack the most common myths around trans-fats and explain why even small amounts can quietly undermine heart health over time.
1. Are all trans-fats the same?
Myth: All trans-fats affect health in the same way.
Fact: Industrial trans-fats are far more harmful than naturally occurring ones.
Industrially produced trans-fats are created by hydrogenating liquid oils to make them solid, a process widely used in processed and packaged foods. Naturally occurring trans-fats, found in small amounts in dairy and meat, do not carry the same level of cardiovascular risk.
“Industrially produced trans-fats have no health benefits and significantly raise the risk of heart disease,” says Dr Behera. “They should ideally be eliminated from the diet altogether.”
2. Are trans-fats found only in junk food?
Myth: Trans-fats exist only in fast food and street food.
Fact: They are hidden in many everyday foods.
Bakery items, biscuits, packaged snacks, margarine, vanaspati, and foods fried repeatedly in reused oil can all contain trans-fats.
“People often assume bakery products or home-style snacks are safer, but many rely on partially hydrogenated oils,” Dr Behera explains.
3. Does “0 trans-fat” mean none at all?
Myth: A “zero trans-fat” label means the product is completely trans-fat free.
Fact: Small amounts can still be present.
Under current labelling rules, foods can claim “zero trans-fat” if the amount per serving falls below a specified threshold.
“Multiple ‘zero trans-fat’ servings consumed across the day can still add up to a harmful intake,” Dr Behera cautions.
In India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has capped industrial trans-fats at 3 per cent and is moving towards a stricter 2 per cent limit in oils and fats. These regulations target artificial trans-fats, not the naturally occurring ones found in dairy and meat.
4. Do trans-fats only affect cholesterol?
Myth: Trans-fats harm health only by raising bad cholesterol.
Fact: They disrupt the entire metabolic system.
Beyond increasing LDL (bad cholesterol) and lowering HDL (good cholesterol), trans-fats promote inflammation, insulin resistance, and damage to blood vessels.
“They raise heart attack and stroke risk not just through cholesterol, but through chronic inflammation,” Dr Behera notes.
5. Is occasional consumption harmless?
Myth: Eating trans-fats once in a while is harmless.
Fact: Even small amounts cause cumulative damage.
Unlike other nutrients, trans-fats have no safe intake threshold.
“There is no safe level for industrial trans-fats,” says Dr Behera. “Repeated exposure, even in small quantities, silently increases cardiovascular risk over time.”
6. Does home-cooked food never contain trans-fats?
Myth: Home cooking automatically eliminates trans-fats.
Fact: Ingredients and cooking practices matter.
Using vanaspati, margarine, or reheating the same oil multiple times can introduce trans-fats into home-prepared meals.
“Repeated heating alters the oil’s structure and creates harmful compounds,” Dr Behera explains.
7. Are trans-fats unavoidable because they improve shelf life?
Myth: Trans-fats are essential for food preservation.
Fact: Healthier alternatives already exist.
Many manufacturers now use better processing methods and healthier fats to achieve shelf stability without trans-fats.
“The global push to eliminate trans-fats proves they are not necessary,” Dr Behera says.
8. Are trans-fats safer than saturated fats?
Myth: Trans-fats are a better option than saturated fats.
Fact: Trans-fats are significantly more harmful.
While excessive saturated fat intake should be limited, trans-fats are universally considered worse and offer no nutritional benefit.
“If fats were ranked by harm, trans-fats would be at the very top,” Dr Behera stresses.
9. Do only heart patients need to avoid trans-fats?
Myth: Healthy people don’t need to worry about trans-fats.
Fact: They are harmful for everyone, including children.
Early exposure increases lifetime cardiovascular risk.
“Heart disease develops silently over decades,” Dr Behera says. “Prevention must start early, not after diagnosis.”
10. Do calories matter more than fat type?
Myth: As long as calories are controlled, fat type doesn’t matter.
Fact: Fat quality is critical for long-term health.
Two foods with the same calorie count can have very different effects on heart and metabolic health depending on the type of fat they contain.
“Calories tell only part of the story,” Dr Behera explains. “The quality of fat determines how your body responds over time.”
Global health agencies, including the World Health Organization, recommend eliminating industrial trans-fats from the diet entirely. Reading labels carefully, avoiding repeatedly heated oils, and choosing healthier fats are among the simplest ways to reduce long-term heart risk.
About Fact-Check Friday
Misinformation in health can be more harmful than the illness itself. That’s why every Friday, Business Standard brings you Fact-Check Friday, a weekly series where we unpack myths, wellness trends, and separate evidence-based medical insights from popular misconceptions.
From ageing and mental health to fitness, diets, and everyday remedies, our fact-checks are guided by doctors, researchers, and public health experts, so you can make informed choices for your well-being.
Explore more fact checks here:
About Fact-Check Friday
Misinformation in health can be more harmful than the illness itself. That’s why every Friday, Business Standard brings you Fact-Check Friday, a weekly series where we unpack myths, wellness trends, and separate evidence-based medical insights from popular misconceptions.
From ageing and mental health to fitness, diets, and everyday remedies, our fact-checks are guided by doctors, researchers, and public health experts, so you can make informed choices for your well-being.
Explore more fact checks here: