Letter: What happened to fat fighter known as Olean?

Monday, March 20, 2000 | 9:38 a.m.

Almost daily there are news items about how very fat Americans are becoming, and it is considered a major health problem by the surgeon general. Why have we not seen Olean used in other areas of cooking?

The potential is enormous for uses of this substance -- from pastries to deep-fried foods that are so popular with the fast-food companies. The only argument I have heard of so far is that Olean can cause digestive tract discomfort and/or diarrhea in some people.

If that is the only argument against widespread usage then we should immediately take all dairy products off the shelves because a very high percentage of the African and Asian population are milk intolerant, not to mention many Caucasions. So where is the Olean? At least let the public hear about the current status of this potentially very useful tool in the fight against the fattening of America.

ROBERT G. SULLIVAN

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