What is an industrial fat when thinking about diet

"Industrial fat" in diet talk usually means a fat that has been heavily processed, often in ways that change its chemical structure and remove the natural compounds your body expects.

The term is not a formal scientific category, but it points to a real problem. The evidence retrieved here shows that seed oils pressed from industrial fruit by-products, like grape, apple, and pomegranate seeds, are rich in tocopherols (vitamin E) and other antioxidants [1][2]. Those are the good parts. The issue is what happens next: refining, bleaching, deodorizing, and sometimes partial hydrogenation. That last step creates trans fats, which a 1993 review already showed consistently lower HDL (good) cholesterol and raise LDL (bad) cholesterol in controlled human trials [4]. Those are the same trans fats that are now banned or restricted in many countries.

An "industrial fat" in your diet is therefore a fat that has been stripped of its natural protective compounds and, in the worst cases, had its molecular shape twisted into a form your body handles poorly. The evidence does not name specific brands or products, but the pattern is clear: a fat that comes from a seed or nut and has been through high heat, chemical solvents, or hydrogenation is an industrial fat. Cold-pressed, unrefined oils from the same sources retain their natural vitamin E and phytosterols [3] and do not carry the same metabolic risks.

My call: avoid fats that have been partially hydrogenated or highly refined. Choose cold-pressed oils when you can. Confidence: high on the harm of trans fats from partial hydrogenation, moderate on the degree of harm from other refining steps, which the retrieved studies do not directly test in humans.