What about Peanut Butter?

If one looks at "natural" peanut butter (the kind you have to stir yourself) compared to processed types (like Jif and Skippy), you'll notice that the latter lists "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" in the ingredients while the natural kind does not. If it it true that trans fatty acids (usually connected with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil) are something we are to avoid, is it true that we should use only the natural kind and stay away from processed peanut butter? How many grams of trans fatty acids are there actually, and should the amount be serious enough to steer us away from the processed types?

ANSWER: Surprisingly ... None and NO!

The hydrogenation is more complete that partial, and thus the fat really turns more to saturated fat than trans fatty acids. And in the case of peanut butter, the hydrogenation process changes only a very small portion of the oil in the product. So -- it raises the serving-size saturated fat from 2 to 3 grams of saturated fat . Bottom line is that most of the fat in even processed peanut butter is still monounsaturated (a much more beneficial type of fat).

Source: Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, June 2004, p. 7