FDA Drops Digestive Warning from Olestra

Reuters | 8.1.03

[mhking]

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Food & Drug Administration will no longer require companies that sell snacks and other foods containing the controversial fat substitute olestra to warn that it can cause cramping and other digestive problems.

In a ruling Friday, the FDA eliminated that requirement, which has been in warning labels ever since 1996, when the agency allowed Procter & Gamble Co. to market the fat substitute, which is sold under the brand name Olean.

The decision comes after an FDA review of new scientific data, including clinical studies of people eating olestra, a substance made from soybeans and sugar, under "real-life" conditions, P&G said on Friday.

"We found that most studies couldn't even detect a difference from regular chips," George Pauli, associate director for science and policy in the FDA's office of food additive safety, said. "The effects that were reported were mild and really didn't have any effect on people's lives."

Studies using normal consumption of products with olestra showed the additive caused only infrequent, mild gastrointestinal effects, FDA said.

The FDA move was attacked by the consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest, which had urged the agency to ban olestra after thousands of consumers complained about diarrhea, cramps and other problems.

"Today's FDA action on olestra is a mistake that will inflict needless misery, inconvenience and embarrassment for countless Americans," CSPI Executive Director Michael Jacobson said.

P&G uses Olestra in its fat-free Pringles chips and PepsiCo Inc.'s Frito-Lay unit uses olestra in Wow! chips.

Before Friday's ruling, packages of those products have had to contain a label that read: "This Product Contains Olestra. Olestra may cause abdominal cramping and loose stools. Olestra inhibits the absorption of some vitamins and other nutrients. Vitamins A, D, E, and K have been added." Consumers will now see an asterisk after each of these added fat-soluble vitamins listed in the ingredient statement of products containing olestra. The asterisk will reference the statement, "Dietarily insignificant," the FDA said.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, more than 60 percent of American adults are obese or overweight.

But despite concerns about cutting fat from diets, olestra has never reached the potential Cincinnati-based P&G had hoped for, in part because consumers were turned off by the potential painful digestive consequences of eating chips with Olean.

Last year P&G sold the plant that makes olestra to Twin Rivers Technology L.P., a P&G supplier and contracted to buy the olestra it needs from that plant.

Manufacturers attempting to sell products with olestra usually faced the problem of getting past the question of digestive problems associated with the product, Greg Allgood, associate director of P&G's health sciences institute, said.

"All of them have been in a Catch-22 because with this label, any time we tried to build consumer awareness, that came up and it was self-defeating," he said last month.

More companies may now use olestra in their products, one consultant said. But they are not likely to be able to use it as a major marketing tool like other additives, including sweetener Nutrasweet.

They lost that, they will never get it back," Ken Harris, partner at Cannondale Associates, said. "It cannot be marketed as an ingredient in a positive way."

[mhking]

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[The Hon. Galahad Threepwood]

The decision comes after an FDA review of new scientific data, including clinical studies of people eating olestra, a substance made from soybeans and sugar, under "real-life" conditions, P&G said on Friday....

The FDA move was attacked by the consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest, which had urged the agency to ban olestra after thousands of consumers complained about diarrhea, cramps and other problems.

In other words, this supposed center for "science" prefers anecdotal evidence to scientific evidence.

[chicagolady]

It is the same as the Nutra sweet "Equal" caper.


Aspartame Poisons Millions

Coke Cola Fires 6,000 Employees


1-29-00

The photo of a crumpled can of Diet Coke told the story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Coke's hometown paper. Fitting, poetic, just, but tragic for the company once rated "The Most Admired Business in the World". Today Coke wouldn't even make the list. Sales are down, profits collapsing, and 6,000 employees soon will be gone. To make room for 6,000 defense attorneys? The tragedy is stupendously larger than 6,000 jobs; it affects hundreds of millions of unwarned, innocent, afflicted consumers across the broad face of planet earth.

This crisis can't be solved by belt tightening, greater efficiency, more advertising, etc. It's so bad Coke can't say the word; to pronounce it will bring instant cataclysm. That word is aspartame, and their only recourse is denial, denial, denial, though every ad and commercial builds higher the scaffold upon which Coke shall surely hang.

Reality is in that twisted Diet coke can. It's poison. It's killing the unborn, raining tumors and seizures on the population, destroying children, incapacitating workers, mimicking MS, erasing memory and blinding. Inexorably Diet Coke visits a plague of 92 symptoms listed by our FDA on a secret report they'll never show which names diet soda as the first source of aspartame disease. And yes, Death was one of the 92.

Diet Coke is poison. And it's addictive, some victims drink several liters a day and keep it on their nightstands. If Coke changes the formula to remove aspartame the world will heal and the surge of hatred and vengeance by the disabled and bereaved shall certainly destroy Coca Cola.

The poison in Diet Coke is aspartame. As a member of the National Soft Drink Association Coke opposed FDA approval of aspartame for beverages. their objections, running to several pages published in the Congressional Record of 5/7/85, said aspartame is uniquely and inherently unstable and breaks down in the can. It decomposes into formaldehyde, methyl alcohol, formic acid, diketopiperazine and other toxins. In a study on 7 monkeys 5 had grand mal seizures and one died, a casualty rate of 86%.

Coke knew; and knowing, broke their good faith contract with customers, a breach exhibited by the recent plot to program vending machines to raise the price with the temperature. Dissatisfied with selling flavored sugar water plus phosphoric acid, they switched to pushing an addictive formula called "Diet". Addictive substances multiply markets, so Diet Coke soared off the sales charts, spreading obesity in its flight.. We're fatter because aspartame suppresses seratonin and makes us crave carbohydrates.

So why is aspartame/NutraSweet/Equal/Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi/etc on the market and in thousands of foods? Can you say CORRUPTION? One FDA Commissioner and one acting Commissioner have changed sides to work in the NutraSweet industry, plus 6 underlings and two federal attorneys assigned to prosecute NutraSweet for submitting fraudulent tests to get it approved. "It's like a script for Abbott & Costello." lamented an honest FDA scientist writing to Senator Metzenbaum. It works like this: "Approve our poison, and when you stop being a bureaucrat we'll make you a plutocrat! After its licensed we'll pay off the American Dietetics, the American Diabetes Association, the AMA and anyone we need who's for sale."

The jig's up! Worldwide consumer action has exposed aspartame, and millions have kicked the habit. Coke's profits are down 37% and for a year Monsanto's been trying to sell The NutraSweet Company. Finally they sold NSC, producer of the phenylalanine in NutraSweet for $125 million. Now Monsanto faces a $71 million lawsuit for exaggerating profits. Monsanto stock is in the toilet, but they may have found a buyer in the Swiss firm Pharmacia-Upjohn. P.U. for short! The deal won't finalize for a year. the plans are to ditch the Monsanto name as its stench is unendurable. CEO Bob Shapiro may soon be history, like Doug Ivester of Coke who just resigned. Will the last one out please turn out the lights!

Betty Martini, Mission Possible International, 5950 H State Bridge Road, PMB 215, Duluth, Georgia 30097 ( 770) 242-2599

References:

http://www.dorway.com (Empty email to help@dorway.com for map)
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame
http://www.aspartamekills.com
http://www.presidiotex.com/aspartame (in Spanish asparspan)
http://www.dorway.com (Approval process fiasco exposed by Fox News, on audio)
http://www.aspartamekills.com ( Townsend Letter for Doctors, Jan 2000,
http://www.icanect.net/sunpress ( Aspartame Disease a world epidemic)
Two support groups online:
Aspartame Support Group and Aspartame Survivors
International Congressional Record, Senate 5/7/85

[SamAdams76]

With all the surpluses of wholesome, natural foods to eat, why are some people obsessed with eating chemicals and other "food substitutes?" Jeez.

[chicagolady]

Maureen Salomon wrote a book that uncovered the FDA connection!
She stated after these guys leave the FDA they are given big dollar jobs at the drug companies for approving the drugs to get an FDA ok for the market.

Don't you fell like a Guinie pig?

[chicagolady]

The point is the FDA is corrupt. If you do not eat the junk food, then wait until your doctor prescibes you a drug that should NOT be on the market.
It is supposed to Protect the people. Not the drug food and chemical companies!

[SamAdams76]

I understand the point of the post. I'm just wondering why consumers would even want to eat this junk, whether the FDA gives the seal of approval or not.

[visualops]

I just can't get past the Mad TV skit....;^)

[WorkingClassFilth]

Q: " I'm just wondering why consumers would even want to eat this junk, whether the FDA gives the seal of approval or not."

A: So the consumer can eat 37 pounds of potato chips in an evening without waistline consequences.

I noted that the article didn't discuss the original wording that Frito-Lay had to use in describing possible side effects. Among the "embarrassing" side effects was possible 'anal leakage.'

Mmmm! Bon apetit!

[Genesis defender]

'anal leakage'

I was looking for that phrase, too. Rush had a field day with that on the radio.

[nobdysfool]

The latest thing I've noticed with Aspartame is that all sugarless chewing gum now contains it. It used to be that you could buy a sugarless gum with sorbitol or some other sweetener, but now, even those also have Aspartame. I have a bad reaction to Aspartame, and now I can't even chew sugarless gum because those jerks have put it in sugarless gum, even though it doesn't need to be there. Don't believe me? Check it out. I have yet to find a sugarless brand that doesn't contain aspartame somewhere in the ingredient list.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Is it aspartame in nutrasweet that gives the (false) indication of FM in females? I have heard of women being treated for fibromyalgia when really it was only nutrasweet they were having a reaction to.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Try finding items that don't contain MSG! I have an allergic reaction to that and it is in many foods. Have to make most meals from scratch/natural.

[nobdysfool]

Probably better for you, though, long-term. I grew up on a farm eating fresh fruits and vegetables, organically grown with no pesticides ( I know, because I spent enough time weeding and caring for the garden as a kid!), and only natural compost for fertilizer. I even ate some veggies raw, and to this day still prefer raw peas to cooked! No known allergies to anything, but I have an instant, bad reaction to aspartame, in the form of a splitting headache, and if enough is ingested, a bad stomachache. Onset is about 2 minutes after ingestion. I avoid the stuff like the plague! I also avoid MSG, just because I know it's bad.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

I'm familiar with both the product and it's development. I believe it is still the most tested food additive in history, so much testing in fact that its original patent almost ran out before it received even preliminary approval by the FDA. If they sold by the gallon next to the Crisco and the Wesson in the supermarket, I'd probably buy one a month. Between all the fritters, fish, and chips, I'd never bake again!

[jennyp]

Wait - are you saying you AGREE with this paranoid article?

[supercat]

In other words, this supposed center for "science" prefers anecdotal evidence to scientific evidence.

More to the point, while the product may cause digestive discomfort in some people, either its effects will be bothersome but not dangerous, or it will be harmless. For those people who find its effects bothersome, the obvious remedy would be to consume less.

Why not just say "Excessive consumption of this product may cause digestive discomfort." That way if people eat the problem and experience problems, they'll know they should eat less.

[King Prout]

all I want to know is this: does this mean I can acquire a large volume of pure Olestra?
I know a few people who would benefit greatly from sudden and embarrassing cases of explosive BM.

[visualops]

Center for Science in the Public Interest is the king of junk science.