TAMPA BAY NEW TIMES an alternative, holistic magazine exploring Body, Mind and Spirit.

November/December 1998 Articles on the theme "Family & Friends" A Family Role Model by Ethel Gillette An account of how Bill Cosby in his Cosby Show provided a much needed and inspiring example of real family values. We're All Related by Bob Gonzalez Expanding one's view of family and friends to include the realization that we are all one spirit. A Soulful Season by Edwina Holloway Some suggestions for making the holiday season more truly meaningful. The Magic of our Differences by Rev. Pat Cross Friends and family - the ultimate gifts of God's creation. Our human differences and our essential oneness. Extend Your Family by Cydné Battreall If your current family does not meet your needs, extend it! How to go about it. The Family of Friends by Sylvia Jackson What it takes to be a friend and to have a friend. True friendship in adversity. Beyond Family and Friends by ISA The true solution to the need for family and friends. The Power of Our Thoughts by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis How we can use our thoughts to protect ourselves and those we love. Other Feature Articles Natural Health Q&A by David Simon M.Ac. A practical discussion of the why's and how's of weight loss. 2000 and Beyond! Y2K = TEOTWAWKI? by David Findlay Mineral Kingdom by Judy Power Featured stones for November and December: Lapis and Amethyst. What is . . . Olestra? by Susan Moyers A fat-free "fat" that may not be such a good idea after all.

What is . . . Olestra by Susan Moyers The next time you reach for that "fat-free" munchie from the snack aisle, take a good long look at the label -- especially the small print. You may not be getting the product you were hoping for. That is because olestra has arrived in Florida! Olestra is the most controversial ingredient to hit the food scene in a long while -- so controversial that celebrity Rosie O'Donnell refused a big money offer to do commercials for the olestra-containing WOW chips sold by Frito Lay. After a market trial in the midwest, WOW chips and Procter & Gamble's Fat Free Pringles have recently been rolled out nationally. Both products contain olestra under the trade name Olean. Both products are required by the Food and Drug Administration to carry warning labels because they can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, including abdominal cramps and diarrhea. To put it simply, olestra is a fake fat -- a designer food, created in order to fool our taste buds into believing it is fat. It is made of the same nutrients as fat. But put olestra under a microscope, and what you see is a huge molecule, an octopus-like structure with eight tentacles surrounding a large center. The octopus molecule is too large to digest, so it passes through the digestive tract without being absorbed. The result is that olestra gives the taste of fat, but not the calories. Some people say this is nothing short of genius, represents a welcome addition to weight loss plans, and pro-vides a rich taste sensation to otherwise dull fat-free foods. But the fake fat has a very dark side, and a battalion of powerful critics. Time magazine has called olestra, "the stealth missile of fat molecules." Among researchers and scholars, two of the most well-known anti-olestra voices are Drs. Walter Willett and Meir Stampfer of the Harvard School of Public Health. These scientists indicate that "there is strong reason to suspect that the effects [of olestra] will include increases in cancer, heart disease, stroke, and blindness." Dr. John S. Ber-tram, Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, said use of olestra "would constitute a public health time-bomb." Dr. Herbert Needleman, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said it would be "clear folly to introduce this product into the diet of children." In addition, the American Public Health Association, which represents a huge number of public health practitioners, indicates it cannot support the use of olestra at this time. According to spokesman Dr. Fernando Trevio, "There are too many unanswered questions remaining about the safety and long-term public health consequences of olestra consumption." Scientists are not just concerned about potential cramping and diarrhea resulting from olestra use. For most people, a little diarrhea and cramping can be bothersome, but are not inherently danger-ous. There are larger health issues, which revolve around the fact that olestra blocks the body's absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins: vitamins A, E, D, and K, as well as beta-carotene and its relatives in the carotenoid family. In approving olestra for food use, the FDA inserted the require-ment that all olestra products be fortified with the fat-soluble vitamins, but not with beta-carotene or the other carotenoids. The scientific argument now centers around the question of what type of health damage can result from carotenoid deprivation. Research has shown that beta-carotene and carotenoids appear to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. But it could take years, if not decades, for scientists to ascertain what type of rela-tionship olestra could have on these two diseases in humans. There, is however, a better under-stood relationship between vision function and two of the more obscure carotenoids in the diet, substances called lutein and zeaxanthin. These two relatives of beta-carotene are found abun-dantly in green vegetables such as spinach or broccoli, and in celery, parsley, and dill. Lutein and zeaxanthin are often depleted in patients with an eye disease known as age-related macular degen-eration, which can strike people as young as their 40s. It is the major cause of blindness in the eld-erly. Because of the potential for increased eye disease, the physicians association that represents most ophthalmologists, American Academy of Ophthalmology, has opposed the use of olestra. The most vocal opponent of olestra is the Washington-based consumer group, Center for Science in the Public Interest. The CSPI is mounting efforts to convince the FDA to ban olestra, and has set up a special "hotline" for consumers of olestra to report gastrointestinal side effects or any other problems they might experience (1-888-OLESTRA). Now that olestra is with us, there is even more reason to read the package labels on snacks before you buy, to make sure you are getting the product you want. The large label banner on olestra-containing foods will usually just state that the product is "fat free." To find out whether an item contains olestra, you have to read the fine print: read the ingredients listing, and scan the pack-age for an olestra (or Olean) product warning statement. The following olestra snacks have been or are being test-marketed: Frito-Lay's WOW chips, under branding of Original Lay's, Ruffles, Cooler Ranch Doritos, Nacho Cheesier Doritos, and Lay's Mesquite Bar-B-Q. Other products are Proctor & Gamble's Fat-Free Pringles, Fat-Free Bar-B-Q Pringles, Fat-Free Sour Cream and Onion Pringles, Fat Free Ritz Crackers and Fat Free Wheat Thins. Susan Moyers is a writer and educator focusing on health and science issues. She is the author of the popular book "Garlic in Health, History, and World Cuisine". 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