DE-Carb - probably too good to be true !

Link please!
Hana

If you google carb blocker you'll find lots of examples, Hana
Here is one claim : 'medically proven to reduce the absorption of carbs by 66-75%, resulting in the intake of far less calories. It is a non-stimulant and an entirely natural ingredient that works to neutralise starch that is contained in foods like potatoes, breads, pasta, rice, corn and crackers. In simple terms, it uses a protein extracted from white kidney beans, proven to reduce the absorption of starch by 75% '

Theere is a paper about this bean extract from the British Journal of Nutrition http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18331662
The nutraceutical role of the Phaseolus vulgaris a-amylase inhibitor (what a title)
( you can get the full version but very technical ,so right up your street Hana)

Alpha-amylase inhibitor / starch / carb blocker

I searched this forum and found only one topic on something I stumbled across today, nobody followed up on it. It's in relation to a starch / card blocker produced from white kidney beans.

There have been various clinical studies on people who don't have diabetes in regard to something called 'Phase 2 Carb Blockers'. These studies seem to be aimed at people who are trying to lose weight rather than diabetics.

One interesting thing that came up is that using the correct dosage of this stuff blocks a good chunk of the hydrolysis process which in turn makes carbs harder to digest resulying in less starch being digested and more of it passing through in an undigested state.

Here is a link :

hubpages.com/hub/Phase-2-Carb-Blockers

It cites various clinical studies on non diabetics . I found Clinical Study 5 to be particularly interesting:

Quoting from study 5 on the above page :

"The average area under the plasma glucose-time curve from 0 to 150 minutes, which is a measure of absorption and metabolism, was 57% lower with Phaseolamin™"

This suggests that it reduced carbohydrate absorption from the food eaten and the susbsequent rise in blood glucose levels was less than it normally would have been had this substance not been taken.

I've done some searching around and pretty much everything I find is in regard to weight loss but it would appear obvious to me that this would be useful to diabetics to help maintain a healthy BG reading.

It's also known as StarchLite according to Wiki

I'd be interested to hear any comments or experiences with this ? Has anyone tried it ? Does it make much if any difference at all ?

I'm finding it quite hard to believe nobody here is interested in this topic

I suspect the topic's title is probably putting people off even reading it in the first place which is why I originally named it something different.

nmc said:

I'm finding it quite hard to believe nobody here is interested in this topic

I suspect the topic's title is probably putting people off even reading it in the first place which is why I originally named it something different.

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I am mildly interested and will watch to see how it pans out for other people. :roll:

Personally I find that I don't need to eat these foods (starchy carbs) and don't miss them so I won't be rushing out to get some of these tablets to help me to do so.

I also have a reluctance to put into my body anything that I don't really have to and can live without.

In a funny sort of way it could be a wariness of what appears to be 'cheating behaviour' which might even turn out to be destructive at the worst.

I'd rather include all types of beans in my diet and they work for me. That doesn't mean they will work for everyone else and I also think that these miracle cures have side effects of some sort.
If you are going to block the carbs with a tablet then it is surely simpler not to eat them in the first place if they raise your blood sugars?

catherinecherub said:

If you are going to block the carbs with a tablet then it is surely simpler not to eat them in the first place if they raise your blood sugars?

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That's exactly my argument as to why I don't eat ANY chocolate now I'm T2, but it doesn't seem to be very popular view on this forum. Therefore, if forum users either do like their carbs OR are finding it difficult to stick rigidly to a lo carb regime, then why can't they take a pill like this to help them?

I just hope that the pills do work and are not yet more expensive "snake oil" or placebos... :roll:

These pills would work out at just under £30 for 10 days supply. At £90 a month I think that would be enough to put most people off and if you read some of the reviews then they suggest you can lose 2lb per month. People here are doing so much better than that by just cutting back on carbs.

We have so many people here who do not get test strips prescribed and I think the majority would agree that test strips are the priority. This allows you to make informed choices as to which particular carbs have to be cut back or avoided.

Two squares of dark chocolate or a plate of mashed potato? I know what my choice would be.

catherinecherub said:

Two squares of dark chocolate or a plate of mashed potato? I know what my choice would be.

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So do I...................................................................................................


NEITHER

.Oh for a plate of mashed potato

Sorry if I got your taste buds and vision going carty. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Catherine.
Chocolate or Mash........ :?:

If I had the choice.....it would be the Mash first and the Chocolate for afters. Very small portions of course. Work's every time.

Ken

Sounds good to me Ken. It is potatoes that I miss and there is no equivalent really. I make do with sweet potatoes but they will never taste the same as good old fashioned mash, chips, baked and roasties in my opinion. I have a small portion occasionally but it is not the same as being able to eat them as and when I want to.

On a more serious note, these pills are not actually prescribed to lower blood sugars and I wonder if the carbs would still show up when you tested even after taking the pills? Also the cost would be exorbitant if you decided to go ahead and use them so that you could eat more carbs. You could have an exotic holiday every year instead.
If you go to the website it does say to consult with your Dr. first.

Probably best not to think about it!! :shock:

catherinecherub said:

These pills would work out at just under £30 for 10 days supply. At £90 a month

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I did one google search and came up with a uk based supplier called power health who sell 90 x 500mg tablets for £7.88

Assuming you took three tablets twice per day they would last 15 days so the cost would be around £16 per month.

I'm going to order some and run some tests.

Excellent.

Please give us progress reports on the forum.

Ardbeg said:

Excellent.

Please give us progress reports on the forum.

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I will add a progress report in a couple of weeks when I eventually get back to the UK.