carb blockers?

krist3ng

I noticed on another thread someone mentioned "carb blockers". Does anyone know what they are, if they're a scam, how they work? I'm curious...

Sidesteal

I noticed on another thread someone mentioned "carb blockers". Does anyone know what they are, if they're a scam, how they work? I'm curious...

It appears to be a Dr. Oz backed supplement, which basically means it's a scam and worthless.

Hellbent_Heidi

It appears to be a Dr. Oz backed supplement, which basically means it's a scam and worthless.

Couldn't agree more!

MinnesotaManimal

They only function while working out on the Yellow Brick Road

seriously though... just googled it, and found..


Carb blockers, also known as starch blockers, are generally composed mainly of bean and wheat germ extracts -- particularly white kidney beans -- that are said to inhibit a digestive enzyme that breaks down starchy carbohydrates, such as potatoes, bread and pasta. This supposedly prevents the carbs from being absorbed by the body; instead, they are said to pass through the digestive tract and be eliminated. Most pills claim to inhibit between 30 and 45 grams of carbs from being absorbed.


The FDA pulled several carb blockers off the market in the '80s because they were deemed ineffective and consumers reported side effects such as bloating, gas, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Even recent formulations have been shown to cause these side effects; manufacturers claim that they are a sign that the pills are working. Lovely.



The side effects aren't too sexy, but the results sound great, right? Well, unfortunately, there is very little evidence that carb blockers work. Several studies conducted in the '80s showed that the bean extracts in carb blockers had no effect on weight loss.

However, more recent studies at the Mayo Clinic determined that much higher doses than those found in most commercial carb blockers -- namely, 4,000 to 6,000 mg of bean extract and 4,000 mg of wheat germ extract -- did slow carbohydrate digestion. Unfortunately, it has not been proven that slowing the digestion of carbs leads to weight loss. In any case, the carb blockers that can be found on the market contain 500 mg of these extracts at most, which is not even close to the supposedly "effective" dosage.


Read more: http://www.askmen.com/sports/foodcourt_100/138_eating_well.html#ixzz1h03DHmsY

krist3ng

boo. I was hoping I could eat tons of bread and get skinny.

Guess it's back to the old healthy eating and exercise...