APPENDIX II
The Facts About Olestra
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT OLESTRA: QUOTES FROM PROMINENT DOCTORS AND SCIENTISTS
· "Olestra = Mineral oil. .I believe this is another hoax and deception being foisted on.the American people." Dr. Sheldon Margen, Public Health Nutrition, U. of California, Berkeley
· . . would constitute a public health time-bomb." Dr. John S. Bertram, Cancer Research Center of Hawaii (U. Hawaii)
· "This substance has the potential to do significant harm." Dr. Ernst J. Schaefer, U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University
· "We are concerned about the high incidents of gastrointestinal effects, ranging from diarrhea to fecal urgency, that are caused by the consumption of modest levels of olestra." Dr. Mark Donowitz, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
· "It would be inappropriate to approve the use of olestra at this time" Dr. Mark Hegsted, Harvard Medical School and former chief of human nutrition at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
· "The bowel disturbances and impaired absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, including carotenoids, are sufficient reasons to have serious reservations about this food additive and to recommend that it not be introduced as a food additive." Dr. Ian Greaves, University of Minnesota School of Public Health
· "...clear folly to introduce this product into the diet of children." Dr. Herbert Needleman, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
· "There are too many unanswered questions remaining about the safety and long-term public health consequences of olestra consumption. Therefore, the American Public Health Association does not support approval for olestra at this time." Dr. Fernando Trevino, American Public Health Association
· "Even low levels of harm should not be tolerated when introducing new product into the food supply.. For olestra, the harm appears substantial. We would argue strongly that the DFA should not approve olestra for use in foods, nor should it be allowed into the U.S. food supply." Drs. John D. Potter and Johanna Lampe, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle
· "...the adverse effects of [olestra] outweigh its potential benefits." Jerianne Heimendinger, Cancer Research Center, Denver, and former director of the National Cancer Institute's 5 A Day for Better Health Program
· "...there is strong reason to suspect that the effects [of olestra] will include increases in cancer, heart disease, stroke and blindness." Drs. Walter Willett and Meir Stampfer, Harvard School of Public Health (endorsed by 25 other nutrition experts)
· "These estimates clearly demonstrate that the magnitude of carotenoid reduction demonstrated in controlled feeding studies of olestra could potentially produce a large number of deaths annually and major morbidity in the U.S. population... We.. strongly encourage you [Dr. Kessler] to avoid submitting the U.S. population, including children and pregnant women, to a massive uncontrolled experiment with potentially disastrous consequences." Drs. Walter Willett and Meir Stampfer, Harvard School of Public Health