5. Olestra - The Wonder Fat
You know, there's no great secret to staying in shape, you just have to eat healthily and exercise a lot. This, however, is no way to live, hence the slew of supposed cheats, wonder potions and "diet foods" that are designed to make you feel a bit better about yourself as you shovel Doritos into your mouth. Olestra was one of these. It was a fat substitute that added no fat, calories or cholesterol but could be used in the place of most fats. It was discovered by accident in 1968 and seemed to be the answer to all our prayers; finally, we could pour oil straight down our throats and not gain a pound. This could well have had a major role in solving the obesity crisis. That is, until people started to read the label. Unfortunately, as a precaution, the FDA listed one of its side effects with two words you never want to have associated with food: Anal Leakage. Basically, when consumed in vast quantities, Olestra can cause "abdominal cramps, loose stools and anal leakage". Despite the fact that no consumer had actually experienced these side effects, people weren't willing to take the risk and sales plummeted. The FDA eventually removed the warning and tried to reassure everyone that, unless they were practically drinking the stuff, it wouldn't happen to them, but it was too little too late. Olestra fell by the wayside and we all went back to pouring chip fat directly into our children.