Nutrition
[edit] The trans fat issue
Conventional margarine contains a much higher proportion of trans fats than butter. Because research shows a correlation between diets high in trans fats and coronary heart disease, margarine has come to be perceived by many as unhealthy. In response to trans fat concerns and government demands for labelling, margarine manufacturers are making and selling new varieties that contain less or no trans fat. In particular, tub margarine is sometimes lower in trans fat than stick margarine, but tub margarine is usually too soft to be suitable for baking.
[edit] Is margarine better for you?
Harvard University researchers, in a 1994 study, reported that people who consumed hydrogenated oils, which are contained in many brands of margarine, had nearly twice the risk of heart attacks as those who consumed little or no hydrogenated oils.
Several large studies, including the Nurses’ Health Study conducted by Harvard School of Public Health has indicated a strong link between earlier death and consumption of high amounts of trans-fat.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the American Heart Association (AHA) all have recommended people to limit intake of trans-fat. For this reason, margarine manufacturers have been reducing the amount of trans-fats in their products since the mid-nineties. The US federal government requires by 2006 the labelling of all food in such a way as to disclose amounts of trans-fat in products. Many brands label their products legally now as "zero grams" trans-fat, which in fact means less than 500 mg trans-fat per serving.
Margarina
