Olestra: Is it really that bad?

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Olestra Is it really that bad?

• By Sarah Gaynor

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Yes.
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What is Olestra?
Normal fats are three fatty acids bonded to a
glycerol molecule. Olestra uses a sucrose
(sugar) molecule joined at esters to six to eight
fatty acids, instead. It tastes and feels like a
fat, but our bodies dont even know where to
begin to digest it.
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Background

• PG wanted a fat-reducing drug in 1975
• Couldnt show efficiency, so used as a food
  additive
• Brand name Olean
• Approved in 1996 Only by the US
• Lays WOW in 1998
• Label removed in 2003 WOW discontinued, Lays
  Light begun
• Other companies dropped olestra line of chips

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Products

• Lay's Light Original
• Lay's Light KC Masterpiece BBQ
• Doritos Light Nacho Cheese
• Ruffles Light Original
• Ruffles Light Cheddar Sour Cream
• Tostitos Light Restaurant Style
• Fat-Free Pringles
• Fat-Free Bar-B-Q Pringles
• Fat-Free Sour Cream and Onion Pringles

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Concerns Vitamins

• Warning label This Product Contains Olestra.
  Olestra may cause abdominal cramping and loose
  stools. Olestra inhibits the absorption of some
  vitamins and other nutrients. Vitamins A, D, E,
  and K have been added.
• Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble
• Olestra carries them away
• Chips fortified with vitamins

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Concerns Carotenoids

• Organic pigments
• Found in fruits, vegetables like carrots, palm
  oil
• May lower risk of blindness, heart disease,
  cancer
• Like the vitamins, fat-soluble

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Concerns Abdominal cramping and loose stools

• Biggest problem
• Eight-week studies (17 test subjects)
• 8 g (16 chips) a day increased diarrhea by a
  factor of 5
• 32 g (about 3 oz of chips) gave half the subjects
  diarrhea
• 8 g gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea,
  loose stools, nausea, and gas increased by 65
• 20 g was enough to double incidents
• Intermittent symptoms lasted 40 days
• Testimonials
• http//www.zug.com/pranks/olestra/

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Procter and Gambles stance

• Reduce consumption of fats
• Eat as much as you want
• Olean is a replacement for fat, not for common
  sense.
• Gastrointestinal effects are similar to that of a
  high-fiber diet
• The added vitamins have no impact on the bodys
  vitamin levels regardless of how much or how
  often Olean snacks are eaten.
• Olean website

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Complaints

• More than 20,000 complaints
• More complaints after label removal, name change,
  removal of Olean label, too
• Some consumers went to hospital
• Frito-Lay being sued by Massachusetts woman
• Backed by nonprofit Center for Science in the
  Public Interest (CSPI)

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Is PG trustworthy?

• Actonel, a drug for osteoperosis (Britain)
• Dr Aubrey Blumsohn at Sheffield University
• Ghost writer, no access to data
• Finally gained accessresults framed poorly and
  innaccurately
• No action from university suspended for talking
  to media

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Conclusion

• Believe what you want to believe, but I wont be
  eating Lays Light anytime soon

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References
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olestra - olestra
infohttp//www.cspinet.org/olestra/OLES-M.AVI -
anti-olestra commercialhttp//www.cspinet.org/ole
stra/ - anti-olestra sitehttp//health.howstuffwo
rks.com/question526.htm - how olestra
workshttp//health.howstuffworks.com/fat.htm -
how fat workshttp//www.olean.com/ - main
site http//observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/
0,6903,1657302,00.html legal bit http//www.thes
.co.uk/search/story.aspx?story_id2026307
recent news on legal bit http//scientific-miscond
uct.blogspot.com/search?qproctor26gamble
legal bit central http//upload.wikimedia.org/wiki
pedia/en/d/d9/Olestra_stereo_animation.gif -
molecule gif http//www.zug.com/pranks/olestra/
--eeew.... http//www.craigslist.org/about/best/la
x/182862349.html -- also very gross http//www.fda
.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/NEW00524.html - being
approved http//www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/200
3/ANS01245.html - changing the label http//cspine
t.org/new/200601041.html - Getting
sued http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat - fat
info http//images.google.com/imgres?imgurlhttp/
/www.enquirer.com/editions/2000/06/23/oleanproduct
s.jpgimgrefurlhttp//www.enquirer.com/editions/2
000/06/23/fin_canadian_ban_adds_to.htmlh373w60
0sz85hlenstart6tbnidFtEqjJTzuA8ToMtbnh8
4tbnw135prev/images3Fq3Dolestra2Bproduct26
svnum3D1026hl3Den News article on falling
sales in 2000 http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroten
oid - carotenoids http//www.becomehealthynow.com/
article/fats/156/ - problems with olestra