Margarine

Margarine is a man-made, chemically altered fat. Margarine was developed as the great healthy, easy-to-spreads cholesterol free, alternative to butter, because it was made out of vegetable oil. Unfortunately margarine is none of these. It is not even a food.

Margarine is 100% hydrogenated oil and is full of trans fatty acids. A type of unnatural, man-made fat that have been linked with the following health problems:

1. Cancer: high levels of trans fats have been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
2. Trans fats have been linked with increased platelet stickiness, which is associated with coronary heart disease.
3. Pain and inflammation becomes much worse for people who eat hydrogenated fats.
4. Trans fatty acids block the body’s  production of naturallly occuring anti-inflammatories.
5. Trans fats are a source of immune system problems. They are incorporated into the cell membrane, where they increase cell memebrane permeability making them more susceptible to infection.
6. Trans fats block the body’s ability to metabolize and use the essential fatty acids, causing muscle fatigue and skin problems.

The body does not know how to deal with trans fatty acids, as they are a new introduction into the food chain. We do not have the mechanisms to digest them and they tend to hang around the body for a very long period of time. The half-life for trans fatty acids is 3-4 months, it takes 3-4 months for the body to decrease in half the level of a recently ingested trans fatty acid.

People are under the impression that eating margarine will cause them to be healthier. Nothing could be further from the truth. Butter, used in moderation, is by far the most acceptable and healthy choice. Margarine will cause an essential fatty acid defieciency.

Reference: Weatherby, D. (2004). Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Jacksonville, OR: Bear Mountain Publishing.