this gives the false impression that these foods are now safe for human consumption. But uncontrolled
intake of vitamin K can endanger the lives of hemophiliacs; and a pregnant mother may risk her baby’s
life by taking too much vitamin A. Apart from removing vitamins from the body (and thoroughly
confusing the body), olestra also reduces the absorption of carotenoids that help us to prevent cancer,
heart disease, and strokes. Pseudo-fats cannot fool even animals. When the fat replacement olestra was
fed to dogs for 20 months, their weight did not decrease but actually increased.
Olestra is the first food additive with negative nutritional value. It is hard to conceive how much
damage this “plastic” food will cause if it remains in our food chain for several decades and, what makes
things worse, it will be extremely difficult to trace any health damage to the use of olestra. It is very
unlikely that there will be any further research done on the side effects of olestra or similar foods. Hence
it is up to each one of us to take more responsibility for our health and that of our families. If we desist
from buying such synthetic foods, they will disappear from the market as fast as they appeared.
Beware of the latest diet drug Orlistat, marketed under the name Alli and sanctioned by the FDA. This
new wonder drug is actually a lower-dosage version of the old prescription drug Xenical, which has never
shown to have any effects on fat reduction. Alli is the first drug of its kind sold without a prescription, and
it is selling like hotcakes. But instead of enjoying a real hotcake, you may experience extremely
unpleasant and embarrassing side effects, including gas with oily spotting, loose stools and abdominal
pain. The drug's official website states that, if you take the drug, "It's probably a smart idea to wear dark
pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work."
The manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, has predicted that 5 million to 6 million Americans a year will
buy the drug, which may be true, given the 70 million Americans who resolve to lose weight by going on
a diet program. The drug blocks the absorption of about 25 percent of consumed fat. That would eliminate
about 225 calories from a 3,000 calorie per day diet, in exchange for loose stools and gas with an oily
discharge.
The combined sales of all the diet products advertised and sold by the weight-loss industry earns $58
billion a year from consumers desperately searching for a solution to their weight challenges. In order to
lower weight, Olistat is designed to block the absorption of dietary fat. Since this interferes with the
absorption of vital fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K and beta carotene, users are instructed to take a daily
multivitamin. Alli’s official website, MyAlli.com, admits that weight-loss cannot be achieved with
Orlistat alone, stressing the importance of a good balanced diet and regular exercise—the typical
disclaimer found on any weight-loss product that doesn’t work.
High Protein Foods Make You Fat and Low Energy Foods Deplete Energy
Not such good news for the Atkins diet friends. The results of a four-nation study involving more than
4,000 men and women ages 40 to 59 produced a stunning conclusion in our Atkins diet-fueled society: the
thinnest people on Earth eat the most carbohydrates. What is even more alarming, the people who ate the
most protein in their diet were actually the heaviest.
“Without exception, a high-complex-carbohydrate, high-vegetable-protein diet is associated with low
body mass,” study leader Linda Van Horn of Northwestern University said in a news conference reported
by Reuters. “High-protein diets were associated with higher body weight.”
Of course, this does not mean that your favorite doughnut, French fries, pasta and white bread are
going to make you slim. These refined carbohydrates don’t offer you the complex sugars that your body
needs as a primary source of energy. Only complex carbohydrates found in grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts,
seeds and beans are suitable to fill the body’s energy requirements. Most notable is this finding: the more
animal protein a person consumed, the higher his weight was.