06/02/2012 (Business Recorder) - The trend of margarine in our country is on the increase as a substitute of butter. It was discovered in the first half of the 19th century as a result of an announcement by Neopolian III, emperor of France, as a substitute of butter in 1869.

Margarine is made from margaric acid, discovered by Michal Eugene Chevreal in 1813, who named it so because of the yield of milky drops in his discovery. A French chemist named Mege Marie won the contest by introducing margarine stem from the primary ingredient margaric acid. Margarine is a man-made product made from plant oil; inhere of un-saturated fats which enhance the HDL (good cholesterol). This liquid oil is hardened through hydrogenation, turning the “cis” fats into “trans”, which solidifies at room temperature. These trans fats increase LDL (low density lipoprotein) known as bad cholesterol. It is a health risk because it gradually clogs up the arteries, which further reduces efficiency of blood flow in the body.

Mostly margarine comes from palm oil which is inferior and toxic oil. So before consuming margarine always be wary about the type of vegetable oil from which it generated.

According to Harvard School of Public Health, trans fatty acids double the risk of heart attack, kill at least 30,000 Americans every year and increase diabetes.

The controversial debate “butter or margarine: The verdict”, was sustained, as butter has more percentage of saturated fats with no trans fats and margarine has no saturated fats but is loaded with trans fats.

Recently the American Heart Association recommended the use of margarine as a substitute for butter. There is a new kind of margarine in the market these days, non-hydrogenated margarine or soft margarine, which does not contain trans fats.

Therefore, always confirm nutritional labels and choose one with zero trans fat, no more than 2g of saturated fats per tablespoon and with liquid vegetable oil other than palm oil as the first ingredient.