Skip Navigation
Menu
Editorials |16 February 1999

Fat, Foreboding, and Flatulence

Howard M. Spiro, MD

Article, Author, and Disclosure Information
Author, Article, and Disclosure Information
  • Yale University; New Haven, CT 06520 (Spiro)
×
FULL TEXT
In this issue, Sandler and colleagues (1) tell us that snacks of potato chips and their congeners made with olestra or vegetable oils caused inconsequential symptoms to study participants who ate them during a 6-week period. The participants were mostly “high consumers” who were selected because they had volunteered for other studies; in this one, they ate a median daily amount of more than 1 ounce of chips. Although men ate more chips at a time than women, women ate chips more often and thus consumed a greater total median amount.
Medical commentaries too often get bogged down with cabalistic statistics, but, heeding Aristotle, who suggested that the beginning of wisdom is knowing when not to measure, I will review the broad picture rather than statistical niceties. When this editorial was requested, conflict of interest was mentioned, which makes me confess that I am regarded as fat. I fight weakly against additional weight gain, so I welcome olestra-containing products as potential allies. After my one oral encounter with them, I did have some unwonted cramps and diarrhea, but I have not replicated that n-of-1 study.
Although the authors of the current study (most of whom work for Procter & Gamble, the manufacturer of olestra) hedged their conclusions with such partisan adjectives as “clinically meaningful” or “bothersome,” it was apparent that roughly one third of persons who consumed olestra the most often or in the largest amounts had more frequent bowel movements than those who did not eat as much....
FULL TEXT
PDF
Not Available
Citations
Citation

Spiro HM. Fat, Foreboding, and Flatulence. Ann Intern Med. 1999;130:320–322. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-130-4-199902160-00018

Download citation file:

© 2019

×
Permissions

Published: Ann Intern Med. 1999;130(4_Part_1):320-322.

DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-130-4-199902160-00018

2 Citations

Related Articles
A Study of Intestinal Flatulence1
Annals of Internal Medicine; 3 (5): 403-422
The Causes of Flatulence
Annals of Internal Medicine; 2 (5): 456-462
View MoreView Less

Related Topics
Gastroenterology/Hepatology
Neurology

Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Neurology.

PubMed Articles
Low FODMAP diet significantly improves IBS symptoms: an Irish retrospective cohort study.
Eur J Nutr 2019.
Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation Superior to Proton Pump Inhibitors for Regurgitation in a 1-year Randomized Trial.
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2019.
View More

Results provided by: PubMed

CONTINUE WITH LIMITED ACCESS
Annals of Internal Medicine
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
acp link acp
silverchair link silverchair

Copyright © 2019 American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.

Print ISSN: 0003-4819 | Online ISSN: 1539-3704

Privacy Policy

|

Conditions of Use

This site uses cookies. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our privacy policy. | Accept
×

You need a subscription to this content to use this feature.

×
PDF Downloads Require Access to the Full Article.
Annals of Internal Medicine
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
Access to this Free Content Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In. Please Choose One of the Following Options
Annals of Internal Medicine
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×