Experiment: When Annistonians Eat Pringles With—or Without—Olestra

Add this to to list of experiments to see what happens when people eat Pringles with or without Olestra. Rejoice, if you like, in the news that the lead scientist is at the University of Cincinnati, in the same city as the company that invented both Pringles and Olestra:

“Reduction of the Body Burden of PCBs and DDE by Dietary Intervention in a Randomized Trial,” Ronald J. Jandacek, James E. Heubi, Donna D. Buckley, Jane C. Khoury, Wayman E. Turner, Andreas Sjödin, James R. Olson et al.,  Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, Volume 25, Issue 4, April 2014, Pages 483–488. The authors test what happens when people who live in the town of Anniston, Alabama eat the regular kind — or eat the Olestra-impregnated kind — of Pringles potato chips. The authors report:

“Our objective was to determine the efficacy of 15 g/day of dietary olestra to reduce PCBs [Serum polychlorinated biphenyls] in Anniston residents….

“2.2. Test products: Crisps made with either olestra or vegetable oil (VO) were purchased commercially. Olestra crisps were Pringles Light Original, and VO crisps were Pringles Original. Both crisps were then produced by Procter & Gamble and are now produced by Kellogg.”

BONUS: The scientific spur of Pringles

BONUS: Official British ruling on Pringles

BONUS: Pringles technical intrigue in South Africa

BONUS: The (2008 Ig Nobel Prize-winning) bite-a-Pringle experiment