But that doesn’t mean you should stop eating it! While it’s pretty clear that industrially produced trans fats (the ones found in things like baked goods and other processed foods) greatly increase risk for heart disease, studies have shown that this may not be the case for natural trans fats (found in meat and dairy products). As a matter of fact, natural trans fats may actually decrease the chances that leftover cholesterol will take up residency in your arteries. At least that is what they have found in rats.

—I learned about this fact from:
Ganguly R and Pierce GN. Trans fat involvement in cardiovascular disease. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. 2012;56:1090-1096.