Gastrointestinal symptoms following consumption of olestra or regular triglyceride potato chips: A controlled comparison

Lawrence J Cheskin, Robert Miday, Nora Zorich, Thomas Filloon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

Context.-Olestra, a nonabsorbable, energy-free fat substitute used in snack foods, has been anecdotally reported to cause gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events, although such effects were not expected based on results from randomized trials, in which it was consumed in typical snack patterns. Objective.-To determine whether ad libitum consumption of potato chips made with the fat substitute olestra results in a different level of GI symptoms than regular chips made with triglyceride (TG). Design.-Randomized, double- blind, parallel, placebo-controlled trial. Setting.-A suburban Chicago, Ill, multiplex cinema. Subjects.-A total of 1123 volunteers aged 13 to 88 years. Intervention.-Subjects were given a beverage and an unlabeled, white 369-g (13-oz) bag of potato chips made with olestra or TG during a free movie screening. Main Outcome Measures.-Total and specific GI symptoms reported during a telephone interview conducted from 40 hours to 10 days after ingestion; level of potato chip consumption; and satiety level. Results.-Of 563 evaluable subjects in the olestra chip group, 89 (15.8%) reported 1 or more GI symptoms, while 93 (17.6%) of the 529 evaluable subjects in the regular TG chip group did so (difference in symptom frequency between olestra and TG, -1.8; 95% confidence interval, -6.2 to 2.7; P=.47). For specific GI symptoms (eg, gas, diarrhea, abdominal cramping), there were no significant differences between olestra and TG chips. Fewer olestra chips were consumed than TG chips (60 vs 77 g [2.1 vs 2.7 oz]; P

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)150-152
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of the American Medical Association
Volume279
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 14 1998

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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