Manmade trans fats are hard on your brain. What are trans fats? They’re artificially produced solid fats. The hydrogenation process (introduction of hydrogen) causes the atomic structure of a substance to change so that what was once a liquid can now remain a solid at room temperature. Why would anyone do that to a bottle of vegetable oil? Well, around World War II, scientists developed hydrogenated fats and oils to provide a longer shelf life for foods that were being transported around the world for soldiers. Butter goes rancid quickly, but margarine doesn’t. The problem is that research has shown that trans fats can increase LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower HDL (good) cholesterol—the exact opposite of what most people need! Not only that, trans fats disrupt the production of energy in the mitochondria (the energy factories) of brain cells. Trans fats may be even more harmful than saturated fats and hydrogenated oils (which don’t contain trans fats). In general, most health experts these days recommend avoiding trans fats altogether. If you must have a buttery spread, the good news is that there are margarines on the market today that are low in both saturated fats and trans fats. Many of these margarines are called “spreads” because they are less than 80 percent oil. (That is, the more solid a margarine is, the more saturated fat and trans fat it contains.) When looking for margarine spreads, look for one with no more than 30 percent fat from saturated fat plus trans fat. Less than 20 percent is even better. Look for words such as trans-free, which means the spread has no more than half a gram of trans fat per serving. But be sure the manufacturers are not replacing trans fats with saturated fats. In moderation, such spreads can be part of a brain-healthy lifestyle.