TODAY VOICES
Opportunity for S'pore to lead Saturated fat not the same
Letter from P Mathavan
I refer to the letters from the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), "HPB, AVA moves to cut trans fats" (Oct 12). These are moves in the right direction, but still disappointing in the light of what research has revealed.
Differentiating food as "trans fat free" or "contains trans fat" should be mandatory — there are no safe levels of trans fats.
The fact that most countries have not made declaration of trans fats in products mandatory, is not an acceptable reason for us not to do so. Singapore leads the pack in many fields, and here is an ideal opportunity to set the standards and guidelines for the world to follow.
I suggest that HPB, with the ministries of Health and Defence, commission a study of the effects of cooking oils using national servicemen in basic military training (BMT).
NSmen make ideal trial subjects as they are young and in the peak of health, and the three-month BMT period provide a controlled test environment.
Each camp could utilise a different type of cooking oil for the trial period, with regular blood analysis done. All cooking oils available at supermarkets and coconut oil should be tested. Officers should be included, so that different age groups are tested.
Posted by TheLast | 
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