| Comment Record |
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Commentor |
Ms. Chieh-yen Chen |
Date/Time |
2000-12-20 07:03:18 |
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Organization |
Teachers College/Columbia Unversity |
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Category |
Individual |
| Comments for FDA General |
| Questions |
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1. General Comments
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Docket No. 94P-0036
Fat is always a big concern of the increased risk of developing heart disease. However, it does not mean that all different kinds of fat have the same effect. Trans fatty acid is unsaturated fatty acid and produced mostly during processing and hydrogenation. Some studies indicated that trans fatty acid could increase the level of bad cholesterol and increase the risk of developing heart disease. Although it has similar effect as saturated fat, trans fatty acid and saturated fatty acid are still different. Some studies are still going on to discover the secrete of trans fatty acid, so we don’t know if trans fatty acid has any other effects on human body different from saturated fatty acid. I think it is better to label saturated fatty acid and trans fatty acid separately. In this way, consumers will not be confused about them and think saturated fatty acid and trans fatty acid are the same thing. However, although there are some studies show the negative side of trans fatty acid, I still think more studies should be done to understand trans fatty acid more before putting it on the label. We never know if trans fatty acid has bigger harm to human body so we have to educate consumer to focus on trans fatty acid, or if trans fatty acid has some benefits to human body so we should not put it on the label (although it has less possibility).
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