Olestra

The Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A) has recently approved a new product called Olestra. Olestra is a fat substitute made by combining table sugar and certain fatty acids to form sucrose polyester, or as I call it, plastic fat (remember all those polyester pantsuits?). It looks, feels and even tastes like fat, but since it's a man-made substance not found anywhere in nature, our bodies lack the ability to digest it. As a result, it's suppose to pass through the body without being broken down or providing calories.

Sound like a dream come true? It's manufacturer envisions using Olestra in making ice cream, cookies, cakes, candy, french fries, pies and just about any other high fat food imaginable. But before you reach for that bag of Olestra fried potato chips, there are a few things you should know. As Olestra passes through you system, it attaches to the fat soluble vitamins (vitamins A - E - D - K - F) and keeps them from being absorbed. Experiments on rats showed that 48% of the rats fed Olestra died before the end of the study. Leukemia, pituitary tumors, liver disease, defective offspring and higher still-birth rates were noted in the Olestra-fed rats.

While its manufacturer acknowledged that liver problems, as well as gastro-intestinal problems (diarrhea, nausea, bleeding) might be related to Olestra, they felt the other findings were not meaningful! Plastic fat for food products is estimated to generate 1 1/2 billion dollars in sales for its manufacturers. Leukemia, pituitary tumors, birth defects and liver disease may not scare some people, but personally, I'd rather eat my old pantsuit than take a chance on Olestra!