In Japan, there is no restriction on use or obligation of labeling of trans-fatty acid yet.  Ever since 2003, more and more countries in Europe as well as US have imposed obligations, but in Japan, the Consumer Agency has only requested the food industry to promote this attempt.  This is so lax that it leans on voluntary action of each company.  Therefore, no decent labeling has been shown on our food products. 

Let me explain what trans-fatty acid is.  Trans-fatty acid is formed when double bonds included in plant or fish oil get hardened by hydrogen.  In another word, when oil goes through a process of removing double bonds, hydrogen replaces.  Then, plant oil transforms into white creamy hard fat.  This is when oil turns into fat.  This type of fat does not exist naturally because it is an artificial shortening developed to use in place of cream.  This is often contained in margarine and also used instead of fresh cream.  But too much intake of trans-fatty acid results in increasing LDL cholesterol, leading to arteriosclerosis, clogging in heart aorta, or ischemic heart disease.     

Also, using this oil in cooking adds crispy texture so it is widely used when making snacks, potato chips, donuts, pastries, pies, etc.  Trans-fatty acid is recognized as one factor that affects on dementia for it causes not only arteriosclerosis but also narrows veins to stagnate blood flow. 

According to the research of Dr. Poorman, Medical School of Oregon Heath & Science University toward the elderly at the age of 87 on the average, he found that the subjects showed much progress of dementia when density of trans-fatty acid within blood was high. 

Oil and fat predominate over not only lifestyle related disease but also affect the elders’ cognitive impairment through the cerebral veins.  So people over the age of 50 should willingly eat fish and make great use of supplements of EPA or DHA.  Keep the entire blood vessels soft and try not to accumulate oxidized cholesterol in their daily life.

As for administration, labeling of trans-fatty acid should be more actively promoted and regulated.  What we can do for ourselves is to try to avoid taking bad fat which hardens our blood vessels.  Stay away from coffee, parfaits, snacks that use fake whip cream made of trans-fatty acid.  And eat lots of vegetables, seaweeds, and fish.  This is so simple that we can put into practice easily in our everyday life.  I recommend you to take supplements of DHA and EPA as we are getting older. 

In our neighboring country Korea, to which Japan is often compared its economy, the labeling regulation has already been imposed since 2007.  In regard to this issue, Japan is way behind from Korea in terms of politics.