How is Olestra made?
It is made start a vegetable oil, like soybean or cottonseed, and
ordinary table sugar. The oils undergo a process that reduces
their caloric value while retaining the
creamy "mouth-feel" of fat. Olean is the first fat-based cooking oil that can be used like fat,
including for frying.
This means that, for the first time, salty snack foods fried in Olean taste like their full-fat
counterparts but
have substantially fewer calories and little or no
fat. Unlike the oil in
regular fried foods, Olean has no calories because its structure
prevents digestive enzymes
from breaking it down. That means neither the fat nor the sugar
are absorbed by the body.
On January 24, 1996, the FDA approved olestra for use in savory snacks such as
chips,
crackers, and tortilla chips. Despite being
approved as safe by the FDA, all
snacks containing olestra must carry a label that states: Olestra was developed
by Procter and
Gamble as an artificial fat substitute that could be used in diet
snacks such as potato chips. The substance, which is a sucrose polyester,
has
the same taste and cooking properties as regular fat, but is designed so that
due to its molecular size, it cannot be absorbed into the bloodstream and passes
right through the digestive tract. One adverse consequence is abdominal cramping
and diarrhea.
Another problem is that Olestra absorbs the lipid-soluble vitamins and nutrients
in food and takes them right along with it. This can
cause the loss of vitamins
A, D, E and K, along with substances called caretenoids, which have been linked
to cancer and blindness
prevention.
Although Procter and Gamble will supplement the product with vitamins, there are
problems deciding which vitamins to
add and how much is necessary. All products
containing Olestra
must list the following warning:
"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."
Olestra tastes like real fat, but slips through the body without adding fat and
calories.
Critics' concerns include side effects such as
depletion of cancer-fighting
nutrients and gastrointestinal disturbances such as bloating and diarrhea.
Olestra can be found in the following products:
Frito Lays - WOW brand of Chips
Fat Free Pringles
Nabisco Fat Free Ritz Crackers
Nabisco Fat Free Wheat Thins
The Gluten Free KitchenŠ 1996 - 2007