The Deadliest Form of Fat - Trans Fatty Acids

Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, the main dietary source of trans fats, are very useful to the food industry - they are cheap, they have a neutral flavour, they melt in the mouth like butter and they have very long shelf lives.

However, campaigners claims that trans fats are seriously toxic, causing premature death and illness on a massive scale. They have been linked to health concerns such as Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes, omega-3 essential fatty acid deficiency, raised cholesterol levels, obesity and coronary heart disease.

Trans fatty acids are not listed on food ingredient labels, but hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils are, and so these are the ingredients to look for and either avoid or use sparingly. The current UK recommendation is that trans fatty acids should contribute no more than 2% of dietary energy (the equivalent of about 5 g/day).

The dangers are so apparent that in Denmark hydrogenated fats are banned in all food products. The US also heavily restricts levels of trans fat. However in the UK, no restrictions exist. The good news though is that major supermarket chains across the Britain are making their own promises. Tesco, Sainsbury, Marks and Spencer and Waitrose have all committed to phasing out hydrogenated vegetable oil from their products.

However, these measures still leave room for many food sources to contain dangerously high levels of these hidden fats. So are you at risk of developing health problems from consuming trans fatty acids?

High trans fat foods

Cakes
Biscuits
Confectionary
Chocolate
Hydrogenated Canola Oil
Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil
Meat and dairy produce

The Benefits of Starting Sports Early

Although some parents try to avoid youth sports until their kids are slighly older, to avoid what they think is a competitive environment for their children, it is important to remember that most youth sports for younger kids are non competitive.

Some benefits of starting sports early, in addition to teaching responsibility, teamwork, and commitment,include:

1. Avoiding childhood obesity.
2. Encouraging a healthy lifestyle and continued physical activity as they get older.
3. Building motor skills
4. Making new friends
5. Less time to watch TV, or play computer games

How much exercise do I need?

The government recommends that children/young people get one hour of physical activity a day. This activity should be of at least moderate intensity. This means you should work up a bit of a sweat and get slightly out of breath. At least twice a week you should include activities to improve bone health, muscle strength and flexibility. Activities where you are on your feet, rather than in water or on a bike help build strong bones.

By 2008, the government hopes to have 85% of young people aged 5 to 16 spending at least two hours a week on high-quality PE and school sport, both during the school day and afterwards. It says by 2010 it aims to have all schoolchildren doing twice that much. However a report published in the medical journal 'The Lancet' last year, says even an hour's activity a day, which most young people don't achieve, isn't enough.