Carb-Blockers – Do They Really Help You Lose Weight?

 Emerging issues of poor nutrition are making people to try different methods of losing weight. Almost 35% of the American population is trying diet plans one after another.  But the worst part is that people do not even test their credibility. A new term ‘carb blocker’ is becoming common nowadays. What are carb blockers? Do you think that they really work and help you shed the pounds? The basic idea is that these Carb-blockers are eaten along with the carbohydrates and as a result the carbohydrates you consume, just pass through your digestive track without getting absorbed into the body.

There are natural forms of substance available to control the urge of eating carbohydrates in your body, but ‘The carb blocker’ is being sold as a pill for losing weight. It seems a fascinating idea but is there any hidden truth behind it? All humans need carbohydrates to provide energy for the body to do its daily routine (Physical, mental).

Carbohydrates break down into sugar or polysaccharides. For the digestion of polysaccharides, they need to be broken into simpler form like Disaccharides and Monosacharides.  And again, there is an enzyme like Alpha-Amylase, which is needed for this break down to occur. Thus, the main theory of Carb Blockers is connected to this specific enzyme. Alpha-Amylase is found in the pancreatic juice and the saliva. The idea is basically is to obstruct or to hinder the function of Alpha-Amylase so that carbohydrates can pass through our body without being absorbed. For this action to be hindered there is one more enzyme needed.

Phaseolus Vulgaris is an extract from the white kidney bean that does not allow the interaction between carbohydrates and Alpha-Amylase. Major digestion occurs in our small intestine after which, the left-over sludge is delivered to the large intestine. Here, water absorption takes place and the remainder is converted into urea. This is where the basic theory of a carb blocking supplement comes into play. Carb blocking’s idea branches off from the idea of starch blocking. Starch blocking is used for the diabetic patients in controlling their blood sugar level and this is done by inhibiting the sugar.

Carb-Blockers will help you only in short run. They do not actually address the actual problem. For example, take liposuction, when you are having issues with your metabolism, or when you have a stagnant life style and unhealthy eating habits; liposuction isn’t going to help you with the source of these problems. There will be no improvement in your lifestyle choices and eating habits after going through with the surgery. These Fat and carb blockers cannot be a sole solution of obesity problems. There is another factor which is very important. This important factor is Vitamin absorption into our body.

Most of the minerals and vitamins are fat soluble. These minerals and vitamins come bundled itself with the glucose and starch. When such blockers inhibit fat absorption into our body, our body gets deprived of these vitamins also. As an example Vitamins like A, D, E, F, K and fatty acids like Omega-3 and Omega-6 are fat soluble. Depriving our body from fats/Carbs will result in abnormal absorption of these Vitamins. The same thing happens with the Carbohydrates too. Many of the minerals and vitamins along with the Glucose, Starch and fats that were not digested, pass through our food canal without getting absorbed.

Yes, Carb-Blockers may work and help you in making adjustment in the initial stage of your diet. Strong cravings can be satiated by a cheat meal once in a while and to nullify the effect of such cheat meals, carb-blockers can come in handy but what happens if we think long term? The best way is to take natural Carb Blockers rather than taking supplement pills. You may eat a serving of white kidney beans prior to your meal rather than going for a pill. You may also go for other natural foods that are high in volume but low in caloric density such as fresh fruits and vegetables. This way, you can forget about possible side effects, you can also forget about the credibility of these synthetic carb-blockers while shedding the pounds; which is an aim for most of us.