Olestra May Cause Weight Gain

Olestra, a zero calorie ingredient made famous by potato chip companies, might actually cause you to gain weight, reports ABC News.

A study released today by Purdue University reveals that rats eating Olean-containing chips ate more and gained more weight than those eating full-fat chips.

“Fat substitutes can interfere with the body’s ability to regulate what it eats, and that can result in overeating,” says Susan Swithers, a professor at Purdue University.

The fake fats are also thought to impede your body’s ability to digest and metabolize food normally. This causes your body to retain more weight.

“When we get cues that something is fatty, but no calories arrive — like with fat substitutes — our body gets confused,” Swithers explains. “This confusion can make the body stop preparing to digest fatty food when it does come.”

This discovery supports compiling evidence over recent years that the chemical manipulation of food leads to weight gain, even if that manipulation results in a decreased caloric intake.