The nutritional role of trans -unsaturated fatty acids has not been clearly established. However many believe that they are metabolized in much the same way as saturated fatty acids. The presence of trans fatty acids in foods is usually as a result of processing. For example, omega-three fatty acids have a double bond three carbon atoms away from the tail. Cholesterol is a lipid that is not chemically or functionally like a fatty acid.
Cholesterol is a tasteless, odorless, white fatty alcohol found in the cells of humans and animals.
Cholesterol is manufactured by the body and can also be obtained from food products of animal origin. Very little, if any, cholesterol is found in foods of plant origin. While total fat values are expressed as the sum of the triglyceride equivalent of the total amounts of fatty acids present, fatty acids will be expressed as fatty acids. Therefore the sum of the saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids on a nutrition label will typically not equal the total fat even when there are no trans - unsaturated fatty acids in the product. Polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat declarations on nutrition labels are voluntary unless claims are made on the label about fatty acid or cholesterol content.