Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs) are a type of unsaturated fat which is not essential and does not promote good health. The basic science behind trans fats is that they are really bad for you.
Just about every country in the world has recommended massive reduction of trans fats from the human diet to trace amounts (which occur naturally).
What you have to watch out for, as someone who wants to get a flat stomach, is any packaged goods that contains "partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils", "hydrogenated vegetable oils" or "shortening. These are the major culprits which will feed your belly fat and make it more stubborn than ever.
Trans fats are thought to be extremely difficult or impossible to metabolize by the human body, which makes them a permanent threat to your success in losing belly fat and getting 6 pack abs. The only reason companies use partially hydrogenated oils is to increase their profits and you know they are not thinking about reducing your belly fat problem! On top of the belly fat problem, trans fats will also increase your LDL (bad cholesterol), give you hormone imbalances and have been strongly linked to heart disease.
I've always recommended to stay away from any "over-processed" foods and these are specifically the foods that contain trans fats which will make it extremely hard to get a flat stomach.
Don't get caught up in the fat "hoo-haa". Fat is an essential part of any human diet. The trick is to avoid the synthetically produced, over processed fats and go for the natural, pure fats that are not going to cause health problems and to eat them in moderation.
Image courtesy of http://en.epochtimes.com/news_images/2007-10-16-trans-fats300-72022076.jpg
