Trans Fat

The next time you chomp down on potato chips or stuff your face with Oreos, you might want to reconsider. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institute of Health, consumption of trans fat, which is present in both of these products, increases low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which in turn increases the risk of coronary heart disease (CDC).

Since 2006, US authorities have required manufacturers to list trans fat content on all nutrition fact panels but few people living in China are aware of the existence of trans fat.

Trans fat is produced when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, and is often added to products as it helps to extend their shelf life and sustain flavor. It is often camouflaged as "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" on many English-language labels. On Chinese labels it normally goes by the name 部分氢化植物油.

To put this issue in perspective, on a recent junk food run to the corner 7-11, I noticed that only two items in the snack aisle didn’t include 部分氢化植物油 in the list of ingredients. Guess I’ll have to dust off my gym pass of start reading labels if I want to live longer.