Word: olestra
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...dismal. Amphetamines, which speeded metabolism and suppressed appetite, looked promising in the 1950s and '60s but turned out to be physically harmful and powerfully addictive. Drugs like fen-phen and Redux, which alter the brain's chemistry, had scary side effects. Newer drugs like orlistat and food substitutes like olestra keep fat from entering the body, but they cause serious bowel discomfort...
Indeed, though the last major miracle food product, Procter & Gamble's olestra fat substitute, helped make Frito-Lay's Wow! chips the best-selling new product of 1998, concerns continue over olestra's possible digestive side effects. It's important to remember, says Horowitz, that problems often don't appear in new foods until a lot of pepole have eaten them for prolonged periods. But even if the fallout is minimal, "stuffing yourself with a food product that may lower cholesterol will not grant you optimum health," she says. The best medicine is still the one that most Americans...
...that hardly any of the drug is absorbed into the body. Unlike all previous diet drugs, orlistat doesn't reduce appetite. Instead, it interferes with an intestinal enzyme that breaks down dietary fat into an absorbable form. In essence, orlistat turns normal fat into something akin to Olestra, the fat-free fat Procter & Gamble has been using in snack foods since...
...welcome development. Right now, pop music is flaccid. The prefab hype of Spice Girls, the sugar-shock kiddie ditties of Hanson, the admirable wholesomeness but inexcusable tiresomeness of Bob Carlisle, the horrific power screeching of Celine Dion--turn it off. Turn it all off. It's meaningless olestra music, artificial and nutrient-free...
...catch is right there on the information label: "Olestra may cause abdominal cramping and loose stools." Both Frito-Lay and P&G claim their test marketing hasn't turned up any unforeseen health problems. Nevertheless, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the watchdog organization that warned Americans against the fat content of movie popcorn, is lobbying the FDA to rescind its approval of olestra, claiming that the additive is not as harmless as claimed...