PROS & CONS OF OLESTRA Introduction This researc

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 & We

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owed that the olestra effects on fat-soluble vitamins was offset with the adding of these vitamins to the diet. Other animal and human studies also supported these findings. Amounts of vitamins required for tissue concentration maintenance for different olestra levels was also determined. Variations of carotenoid bioavailability for those consuming olestra, was found to be within the normal variation, and this was concluded to lack nutritional meaning. Adding vitamin A to the snack food was found to offset any effect of decreased carotenoid availability, eliminating the need to add carotenoids to olestra foods (Peters, et al., pp. 1721S-1724S; Schlagheck, Kesler, Jones, & Zorich, 1997, p. 1666S). Studies have also been conducted to determine olestra's effect on the availability of phytochemicals. The class of phytochemicals containing molecules that are lipophilic, besides carotenoids, might be affected by olestra, however it was concluded that a small reduction in their absorption will not pose a risk. One of the advantages of phytochemicals is their cholesterol absorption reduction effect, and this tendency will not be compromised since olestra also has the potential to reduce cholesterol absorption. Olestra may have the
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