“This oil is more dangerous than sugar” makes for a dramatic headline, but comparing two very different things and calling one flatly “more dangerous” oversimplifies real nutrition science. What’s true is that partially hydrogenated oils — the source of artificial trans fats — deserve real caution, more than most people realize. Here’s what’s actually going on.
The Oil in Question: Partially Hydrogenated Oil
Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is created through an industrial process that turns liquid oil into a more solid, shelf-stable fat — historically popular in margarine, packaged baked goods, fried fast food, and processed snacks because it extends shelf life and improves texture. That process creates artificial trans fats, which behave differently in the body than natural fats.
Why Trans Fat Is Genuinely Concerning
Trans fat is consistently linked in research to raising LDL (“bad”) cholesterol while also lowering HDL (“good”) cholesterol — a double negative effect that most other fats don’t have. This combination is associated with increased risk of heart disease, which is well-established enough that the FDA formally ruled in 2015 that partially hydrogenated oils are no longer “generally recognized as safe” for use in food, and most major manufacturers phased them out by 2020 as a result.
Is It Actually “More Dangerous” Than Sugar?
This isn’t a fair or meaningful comparison — trans fat and added sugar are both genuinely worth limiting, but they affect the body through different mechanisms (cardiovascular risk versus metabolic and blood sugar effects), and both matter. Neither is a single “most dangerous” substance; both are worth moderating as part of an overall healthy diet, and neither one being “worse” changes that.
Where This Oil Still Shows Up
Even with the FDA ban on adding new partially hydrogenated oils, products manufactured before the ban’s full enforcement, and imported products from countries with less strict regulation, can still contain small amounts. Checking ingredient labels for “partially hydrogenated oil” is the most reliable way to spot it — trans fat can legally be listed as “0g” on nutrition labels if a serving contains less than 0.5 grams, so the ingredient list matters more than the fat breakdown.
What to Do Instead
Favor liquid oils like olive, avocado, or canola oil for cooking, and choose baked goods and packaged snacks with recognizable fat sources (butter, or non-hydrogenated vegetable oils) rather than “vegetable shortening” or “partially hydrogenated” ingredients. This isn’t about eliminating all packaged food — it’s about reading labels for this specific ingredient.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all vegetable oils bad because of this?
No — this concerns specifically partially hydrogenated oils, not vegetable oils generally. Liquid vegetable oils like olive, canola, and sunflower oil don’t carry the same trans fat concern.
Is trans fat completely banned now?
The FDA banned the intentional addition of partially hydrogenated oils to food as of 2018, with full compliance by 2020, but small naturally occurring amounts (from some animal products) and older or imported products can still contain trace amounts.
How do I know if a product contains trans fat if the label says “0g”?
Check the ingredients list for “partially hydrogenated oil” — if it’s listed at all, the product contains some trans fat, even if it rounds down to 0g per serving on the nutrition label.
Is sugar actually safer than trans fat, then?
Neither is “safer” in a meaningful sense — both are linked to different health risks when consumed in excess, and both are worth moderating rather than ranking against each other.
The Bottom Line
Partially hydrogenated oil, the source of artificial trans fat, is genuinely worth avoiding due to its cardiovascular risk — but framing it as flatly “more dangerous than sugar” oversimplifies things. Check labels for “partially hydrogenated oil” and limit both trans fat and added sugar as part of an overall healthy diet.
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