New York, NY January 13, 1998. The American Council on Science and Health today pointed to the results of a new study confirming what those who have studied the safety of the new fat substitute olestra have long known: that eating chips fried in olestra does not cause adverse gastrointestinal effects as olestra's now-discredited, highly vocal critics have been claiming.
The January 14 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association carries a report on research done on olestra by a group of scientists at Johns Hopkins University. In their article the researchers conclude that "consumption of olestra potato chips . . . is not associated with increased incidence or severity of GI symptoms, nor does the amount consumed predict who will report GI effects after short-term consumption of either olestra or [full fat] potato chips."
"It is time to put an end to the baseless and irresponsible claims that somehow olestra products cause diarrhea or other changes in gastrointestinal function," states ACSH President Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan. "Although olestra's primary critic the Center for Science and the Public Interest will inevitably continue to claim that olestra chips are hazardous, the scientific reality is that the fat substitute not only was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in a rigorous review process, but now has also been officially cleared in a prestigious, peer-reviewed medical journal of the baseless charge that it induces GI effects.
"There is no evidence whatsoever," continues Dr. Whelan, "to justify terrifying American consumers about the dire health effects of snacks containing olestra. These products offer a safe alternative for those who prefer their snacks without the calories that come from fat."