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DO POTATO CHIPS MADE WITH OLESTRA CAUSE GI DISTRESS?

Olestra, a nonabsorbable fat substitute, offers the hope of guilt-free snacking, but its use has been reported to cause gastrointestinal distress. This study, which was sponsored by the manufacturer of olestra, randomized 1,123 volunteers to receive a beverage and an unlabeled bag containing either regular Ruffles potato chips or Ruffles made with olestra.

The participants were interviewed over the telephone between 40 hours and 10 days after eating the chips. The proportion of people who developed one or more GI symptoms was similar in the olestra group (16 percent) and the regular chip group (18 percent). However, olestra chips were given significantly lower average taste scores than regular chips (5.6 vs. 6.4 on a 9-point scale), and fewer olestra chips were consumed.

Comment: This industry-sponsored trial, which appears to have been conducted with appropriate safeguards against bias, suggests that olestra-made chips do not increase GI side effects. Unfortunately, they also don't seem to taste as good as regular chips.

— TH Lee

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine January 30, 1998

Citation(s):

Cheskin LJ et al. Gastrointestinal symptoms following consumption of olestra or regular triglyceride potato chips: A controlled comparison. JAMA 1998 Jan 14 279 150-152.

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