This research paper will present the pros and cons of olestra. Included in the discussion will be a definition and status of olestra, and pros and cons regarding its nutritional effects and safety issues.
Olestra is a food additive that is used as a fat substitute. It is defined as "a mixture of hexa-, hepta-, and octaesters prepared from sucrose and long-chain fatty acids from edible fats and oils such as soybean, corn, or cottonseed." It is used as a replacement for as much as 100% of the fats used for preparing snack foods (Prince & Welschenbach, 1998, p. 565).
The Procter and Gamble Company petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in 1987, for the amendment of food additive regulations to allow olestra (sucrose esterified with fatty acids) to be used as a fat replacement; later the request was changed to use in savory snacks. The FDA looked at the evidence offered, expert opinions, FDA Food Advisory Committee proceedings, and public discussion, and in 1996, announced that olestra was safe when used in savory snacks such as potato chips, corn chips, cheese puffs, and crackers. It also required that fat-soluble nutrients lost due to olestra be replaced, to include "170 IU vitamin A per gram olestra, 12 IU vitamin D per gram olestra, 2.8 IU vitamin E per gram olestra, and 8 Rg vitamin K per gram olestra." Labels must note this information as well as the possible gastrointestinal side effects (Prince & Welschenbach, 1998, p. 565).
The Procter and Gamble Company filed a petition with the FDA in 1999, proposing that the label statement be removed regarding food additive regulations. Procter and Gamble contend that scientific evidence collected since 1996 shows that the label is inaccurate, with incomplete information, and misunderstood by customers (FDA, 2000).
Olestra is not toxic. It is not considered to be carcinogenic, genotoxic, or teratogenic. It is nondigestable and is not absorbed or metabo...