Diarrhea, loose stools and vomiting are not the most desirable conditions. Those were the topics Wednesday at a press conference where several Columbus residents gave detailed descriptions of symptoms they said were a result of consuming Fat Free Pringles containing the fat substitute olestra. The conference was held by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit health advocacy organization that has been protesting the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of olestra last June. The center set up a toll-free number for people who became sick after eating the chips, said Dr. Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the public interest group. Jacobson said between Sept. 30 and Nov. 7 they received a total of 200 calls. ‘This (number) probably only represents the tip of the iceberg’ Jacobson said. ‘Fat Free Pringles have probably caused many thousands of Ohioans to suffer.’Greg Allgood, senior scientist at Proctor &Gamble, said, ‘Anyone who called the hot line was asked to participate in a study to determine whether their illness was in fact related to the consumption of snacks with olestra.’ Participants were given chips made either with olestra or with regular fat, but they were not told which was which, Allgood said. No one reported severe side effects after consuming the chips, despite the fact that 85 percent of the participants reported becoming ill from Olean prior to this study, he said. ‘The bottom line is that P&G wants to do what is right. We have acted responsibly and have provided the consumers with all of the facts,’ Allgood said. Jacobson said P&G should at the very least label products containing Olean with clear warnings of the possible severe side effects.