Changes in diet, weight, and serum lipid levels associated with olestra consumption.

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Abstract
THE LAST 10 to 15 years have seen an unprecedented increase in the availability of specially manufactured low-fat and nonfat foods1 and a reduction in the percentage of energy obtained from fat in the diets of Americans.2 This increase in nonfat and low-fat replacements for full-fat foods has also been paralleled by a notable increase in the prevalence of obesity in the United States such that almost 55% of adults are overweight or obese.3,4 Although there is clearly no evidence for cause and effect between these 2 events, their coincidence does highlight an important research question for public health nutrition policy regarding the effects of reduced-fat products on the health and nutritional status of Americans. Of particular interest is the effect of newly introduced foods made with the nonenergy fat substitute, olestra. Unlike many other fat-modified foods, which may be highly dense in energy, those made with olestra are substantially lower in energy than their full-fat counterparts.