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What effects may it have on me?
Olestra has been a controversial
topic since 1987 when the Procter and Gamble company petitioned the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA)
to amend food additive regulations to allow olestra to be used as a replacement
for conventional fats. Both the
Pros and the Cons have
been summarized and are presented with links to webpages of the respective
opinions.
In this period of time, over 100 studies with confirming data
accumulated from about 75 human studies, has been conducted to determine
the safety of olestra. The researchers
who conducted these tests report that when olestra is consumed in levels
typical in savory snacks, side effects are not felt (1). Still,
people have reported feeling side effects, the most common of which is
"adverse gastrointestinal events." In
a controlled, blind comparison test between olestra and triglyceride,
adverse gastrointestinal events were reported for both testeing conditions
although there was no appreciable difference between the two conditions.
Since olestra is very "greasy" and
runs through the entire gastrointestinal tract before excretion, some of
the fat soluble (lipophilic) vitamins are flushed out upon consumption.
Therefore, vitamins A,D, and E must be added to olestra products to reinstate
the proper levels of these fat-soluble vitamins which are removed by the
olestra. Studies indicate that olestra's effect on these vitmains
can be offset by the addition of graded amounts of these vitamins (2).
Olestra also reduces the body's absorption of caratenoids. For this
reason, multivitamins should not be taken within close proximity to olestra-containing
products. Research evidence concludes that olestra does not affect
the absorption of potentially beneficial components of fruits and vegetables
other than the carotenoids and vitamins A and E (3).