New Research Shows Starch Neutralizer May Help in Weight Control
by Steven Rosenblatt, M.D., Ph.D.
Health care researchers equate the
health impact of obesity to that of
smoking and fear that obesity may
reverse the tremendous gains modern medicine
has made in increasing human
longevity. The prevalence of obesity has
increased 65 percent over the past decade.
Currently, it is estimated that 60 percent of
adult Americans are either overweight,
defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 25, or clinically obese BMI greater than 30. This translates
into about 110 million overweight
adults and 39 million obese adults. In
addition, obesity is reaching epidemic proportions
in adolescents and teens where
approximately 25 percent of American
children are overweight and about 10 to 15
percent are obese.
Overweight individuals have an
increased risk of adult onset diabetes, coronary
heart disease, hypertension, stroke,
degenerative arthritis, obstructive apnea and
perhaps asthma. Deaths related to obesity
total approximately 300,000 lives per year
with an annual medical cost for
diabetes alone of at least $100 billion. In
addition to the health risks,
overweight individuals often
experience a decreased quality of life,
including depression, impaired mobility and
poor self-esteem.
Choosing a Weight Loss Strategy
There are a number of causes for this epidemic,
including excessive carbohydrate consumption and inadequate physical activity. However, other factors, including societal pressures, lack of sleep, medication
and genetics also come into play.
Recognizing the variety of causes, what is the
best strategy for combating the obesity
epidemic?
Research shows that “denial” diets often
do not work. While dieters may lose weight
initially, they often regain the lost weight—plus a few extra pounds—within a relatively
short period of time. There are numerous
weight loss products available either by prescription
or over-the-counter (OTC). Some
of these products have harmful side effects
or contain dangerous stimulants.
Furthermore, many OTC supplements are
not backed by any substantive research.
Starch Neutralizer Reduces Calorie Absorption
One of the latest developments in our battle against obesity is a starch neutralizer called Phase 2®, recently available in a variety of weight loss supplements. The starch neutralizer, a concentrated extract of the white kidney bean, represents an ingredient category that
may combat our increased consumption and craving of complex
carbohydrates. Phase 2 is an alpha amylase inhibitor. In other words, it works to inhibit the action of alpha
amylase—the enzyme that helps turn starch
to sugar. Sugars are either burned up by the
body or stored as fat. Scientists discovered
amylase inhibitors when they observed bugs
that used alpha amylase to break down
plants for food were unsuccessful with certain
plants, such as the white kidney bean.
The University of Scranton recently presented
the results of a double-blind, placebocontrolled,
human cross-over study showing
that “starch absorption averaged 66 percent
lower in the group taking Phase 2, compared
to the group on placebo.”
Researcher Joe A. Vinson, Ph.D. said,
“The data indicates that very little of
the glucose from the starch in bread was
absorbed when co-ingested with Phase 2,
and the glucose was cleared more rapidly.”
Weight Loss Studies Show Promise
As in any diet regimen, there is no magic
bullet. However, for those who have tried
exercise and diet but can’t give up their carbs,
Phase 2 may help them shed some of those
unwanted pounds.
For example, a recent double-blind,
placebo-controlled, research study that
showed patients who took the ingredient
Phase 2, lost nearly a half-pound per week
(3.8 pounds over eight weeks) on average, or
129 percent more than those on placebo.
Patients on the starch neutralizer also lost 1.5
inches around their waists, on average, or 36
percent more than those on placebo. Even
though these results did not reach statistical
significance, this remains an exciting preliminary
study.
One of the most surprising results of the
study was the impact that the starch neutralizer
had on triglycerides, a form of bad cholesterol.
There was a 26-point drop in
triglyceride levels, on average, for patients
taking the starch neutralizer, while those on
placebo averaged only an 8-point drop in
triglyceride levels. Again, while not statistically
significant, the difference between the
two groups was more than 200 percent.
No significant adverse effects from the
starch neutralizer were reported by any of
the patients participating in the study.
A more extensive double-blind, placebo controlled
study using Phase 2 as the active
ingredient involved 60 healthy males and
females aged 25 to 45 years. Volunteers were
selected based on a stable body weight
ranging from 5 to 15 kg (12 to 33 pounds)
over optimal body weight for 30 days prior
to participation in the study. They were
instructed to follow a recommended diet
with daily consumption of starchy foods
during one of the principal meals.
Participants consuming 500 mg of Phase
2 once daily before one of the principal
meals lost an average of 6.45 pounds (3.96
percent of body weight) by the end of the
30-day study whereas those consuming a
placebo lost an average of 0.76 pounds (0.47
percent body weight). In addition, those on
Phase 2 lost 10.45 percent of fat body mass,
3.44 percent waist circumference, 1.44
percent thigh circumference and 1.39 percent
hip circumference. These losses
occurred without any change in lean muscle
mass. Placebo participants had losses of 1.30
percent, 0.53 percent, 0.39 percent and 0.10
percent respectively. The observed differences
were statistically significant for all test
parameters.
As a researcher, these results are encouraging
and look very promising. Phase 2 may
assist in fighting the obesity epidemic by
reducing the amount of carbohydrate calories
which are absorbed. TH
Steven Rosenblatt, M.D., Ph.D. maintains a
busy clinical practice combining family practice
medicine, acupuncture, and complementary
modalities at his office in West Los Angeles.
He is currently on staff at Saint John’s Health
Center in Santa Monica, CA.
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