If someone handed you a bag of chip...

If someone handed you a bag of chips with this warning label -- "This fruit Contains Olestra: Olestra may cause [severe] abdominal cramping, unloose stools [and diarrhea]. Olestra inhibits the absorption of about vitamins and other nutrients []" what would you say? I'd like to disclose you what I'd say. allow me assure you: the thrust would be a resounding "No thanks!"

I will admit that I am completely 100 percent baffled, molested confused, and bewildered by the fact that Procter & Gamble, and its marketing partners, Frito-Lay and Nabisco, are forward the verge of complete succes in introducing a synthetic fat-replacer, Olean (olestra) that could generate for Procter & Gamble alone, almost $1 billion in world sales.

Not that it hasn't taken the company a while to secure approval from the U.S. viands & Drug Administration (FDA), which they received last year; the company actually petitioned for approval as early as the 1970 In 1990 the FDA's associate director for clinical nutrition, Walter Glinsmann, MD voiced regards about "the possible health events of [consumers ingesting] large amounts of a novel substance," in the pages of the agency's hold publication, FDA Consumer, in December of that year.

In that same issue, the FDA's Marian Segal raised these questions: "1) If the materials are absorbed in the material part -- even in very small amounts -- are they toxic?; 2) If they are not absorbed, by what means do they affect gastrointestinal function? For example, could they interfere with the absorption of nutrients or drugs?; and 3) Are the substances suitable for general use or no other than for subpopulations of the general public?" prime questions, the (alarming) answers to which, it appears haven't really seemed to matter to the FDA, the companies involved, or to many American consumers

There are those who, thankfully, do care. undivided is Walter Willett, M.D., chairman of the nutrition department at Harvard University's instruct of Public Health, who said in the August 24th issue of the recently made known York Times: "My major transaction is the long-term health issues Those who have no gastrointestinal distress will move on eating Olestra on a long-term basis, and this will increase their chance of getting serious disease. [Olestra snacking] may be planting a bomb that could walk off horrendously, several decades down the road."

Michael Jacobson, executive director of Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest, believes that the marketing push for this fat replacer is "a demonstration of corporations without a conscience."

I agree, on the other hand it seems more to do with the combination of public apathy through the whole extent of serious side-effects, on the undivided hand, and a public craze throughout "fat free," on the other hadn. Billy Cyr Procter & Gamble's marketing director for Olean, lately said that the negative publicity "has worked to benefit us, because nation want to listen to the informational message in our ads."

While the negative publicity has probably helped, I can't imagine that the public really want to hear the gory details about inexorable abdominal cramping and unpleasant, incredibly embarrassing gastrointestinal side-effects while they're downing bag after bag of Frito Lay's Wow chips.

If you know of anyone who's experienced any side-effects as a ensue of eating Frito Lay's Wow chips or Olean Pringles, please call 1-888-OLESTRA (9 am to 5:30 pm EST) In convenient health!

James Gormley has serv as a managing editor for sum of two units of the most respected medical journals in the U and as a social sciences/medical editor in main division publishing. His nutrition articles hide important issues, keeping readers informed of the latest breakthroughs in nutritional approaches to optimal health and ongoing research into vitamins, botanicals, minerals, and other supplements

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