Scientific thinking: how can scientists assess the health risks of trans fats

Scientists can access the risks of trans fats by conducting an appropriate experiment which will show the effects of the fats on the human system.

This can be done by feeding known quantity of trans fats to rats over a specific period of time. During the period, the change in the rat weights will be measured on the daily basis and every other changes that is noted in the rats will be noted down. A control group of rats will be included in the experiment; these rats will be given normal rat feeds and not trans fats.

When the period of feeding is completed, the rats will be killed, all the organs in the rats such as liver, blood, brains, kidney, etc will be harvested and these organs will then be biochemically analysed in order to compare the changes in them with that of a normal rats.

Rats are usually used in biochemical research because their systems and that of human is comparable. Any negative effect of trans fats that is noted in the rats will also hold true for human beings.