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olestra

American  
[oh-les-truh] / oʊˈlɛs trə /

noun

  1. a synthetic oil used as a substitute for dietary fat: not digested or absorbed by the human body.


Etymology

Origin of olestra

1990–95; ol- (< Latin oleum oil) + -estra, alteration of (poly)ester

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Remember olestra, the Paleo diet and celery juice?

From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2023

Michael Keaton was played onstage by the olestra to the tune of TV’s “Batman.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2016

As Kessler reminded the panelists several times during the proceedings, their only task was to decide whether they were reasonably certain that olestra was harmless.

From Time Magazine Archive

Calling olestra a "public-health time bomb," Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest predicted that "it will cause everything from diarrhea to cancer, heart disease and blindness."

From Time Magazine Archive

Not only are these differences statistically insignificant, but those who felt some discomfort on olestra didn't reduce their intake as a result.

From Time Magazine Archive