Editor’s Note: “Fitness Facts” is a weekly fitness and exercise column that appears weekly on Mondays. If you would like to ask a fitness related question to Irene Lewis McCormick, graduate student in health and human performance, she can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].

Q: Does a healthy, low-fat diet lead to weight loss?

A: Actually, the question should be whether maintaining a low-fat diet will help a person lose weight.

Any individual who wishes to lose weight should do more than just watch fat consumption.

With the wide selection of “fat-free” food products on store shelves, the problem of eating too much is still the same.

A product that says fat-free doesn’t mean it’s calorie-free.

Fat-free products do not guarantee individuals a license to eat the entire box. A calorie is a calorie. Focusing on fat tends to distract people from the real issue — too much food and too little exercise.

Q: What is Olestra?

A: According to an article published in the March 1998 Nutrition Action Newsletter, Olestra is a product that was developed by Proctor & Gamble in 1968.

Its original purpose was to provide extra calories to feed premature babies.

The product is made by chemically combining sugar with the fatty acids obtained from vegetable oils.

In January 1996, Proctor & Gamble received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to sell Olestra for use in snacks such as potato chips, tortilla chips and crackers.

The FDA required all food products made with Olestra to carry a warning label indicating risks to the consumer, including abdominal cramping and loose stools.

It also warns Olestra inhibits the absorption of some vitamins and other nutrients.

Products made with Olestra were test-marketed in several cities and a hotline, 1-800-OLESTRA, was set up for consumer feedback. It was reported that callers often complained of painful abdominal cramping and other digestive problems when using products made with Olestra.

My advice is to avoid foods made with Olestra. It causes gastrointestinal problems in some people and steals precious carotenoids from the body.

Studies suggest carotenoids protect us against heart disease and cancer.

Q: Are you familiar with the Weight Control Shield (WCS), and how does it work?

A: The Weight Control Shield is just another ridiculous attempt of the billion-dollar diet/supplement industry to trick naive consumers into spending more money to lose weight without practicing sound nutrition and recommended levels of exercise.

The shield is a plastic device worn in the mouth to cover the tastebuds.

The theory is that if food doesn’t taste good, individuals wearing the WCS won’t eat as much.

The WCS costs $49.95, plus the cost of a fitting from a dentist.