GLOSSARY

Fully Hydrogenated Oil has had double bonds largely removed through saturation; unlike partial hydrogenation, it does not necessarily imply high trans content.

Low trans in fully hydrogenated oil does not equate it with cis-rich oil; saturated content and the full formulation matter.

Hydrogenation adds hydrogen at double bonds and can make oil more solid. Partial hydrogenation can produce trans isomers, whereas complete hydrogenation produces predominantly saturated fatty acids and need not leave high trans levels. All hydrogenated products are therefore not equivalent; saturated fat, trans fat and the full formulation matter when selecting foods.

Saturation concerns carbon–carbon double bonds in a fatty-acid chain, not fullness after eating or a food's energy content. One double bond defines monounsaturation; multiple bonds define polyunsaturation. Their positions and cis or trans geometry also matter, so counting bonds alone cannot explain every physical property or biological effect.

Saturated fatty acids do not have identical effects on blood lipids; stearic and palmitic acids, for example, differ. That does not automatically make a mixed food healthy or suitable without limits. Its fatty-acid mixture, portion and replacement matter more than judging the whole food solely from the name of one component.