olestra

[oh-les-truh]

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of olestra¹

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

Example Sentences

In the 1990s and 2000s, “health food” was often the most processed food on the shelf: SnackWell’s cookies, SlimFast shakes, Olestra chips that came with a warning label.

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Remember olestra, the Paleo diet and celery juice?

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She told the court Ms Skana's sister, Olestra, turned up at the unit, "distressed".

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"Wow" potato chips from Frito Lay were made with Olean, a brand name for Olestra.

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No, my math didn’t spit out the obvious choice, and when I say spit out, I mean it in the same way Olestra works its way through the body: Quick, and, well, curious and ultimately and unfortunately unstoppable.

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