Go Ad-Free
logoThe People's Perspective on Medicine

Fat-Free Chips Make Rats Fatter

Americans have been told for years that they can lose weight by cutting the amount of fat they eat. The low-fat food craze of the past two decades has not produced a noticeably thinner population. Nevertheless, food manufacturers have developed artificial fat to reduce the calories in foods like potato chips. Now a new study from Purdue University has found that rats given Olestra-containing fat free potato chips as part of their otherwise high-fat diet gained more weight than rats eating regular potato chips and the same high-fat food. While we can’t generalize from rat studies to human beings, the researchers suggest that the chemical manipulation of food may not produce the expected weight loss outcome.

[Behavioral Neuroscience, June 21, 2011]

Rate this article
star-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-empty
5- 1 rating
About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
Tired of the ads on our website?

Now you can browse our website completely ad-free for just $5 / month. Stay up to date on breaking health news and support our work without the distraction of advertisements.

Browse our website ad-free
Join over 150,000 Subscribers at The People's Pharmacy

We're empowering you to make wise decisions about your own health, by providing you with essential health information about both medical and alternative treatment options.