Home / Does it Work?

I heard about this product on the radio last night...

#1

Derek , 10-24-2002 09:40 PM

It was called "Ultra Carb" where it stopped carbs from being digested or something like that. Here's a few links I found on it:
http://www.nutrition-and-health.com/carb-blocker.htm
http://www.discountnutrition.com/na-036.html

It claims it's "Stimulant Free" but Carbs just not being digested seems too good to be true... Is it?
#2

QuilterInVA , 10-25-2002 08:47 AM

Of course you already know it is too good to be true. The only thing it will lighten is your bank account. The best way to lose weight and maintain the loss once you are at goal is to learn to eat a healthy, balanced diet in reasonable portions.
#3

Derek , 10-25-2002 03:05 PM

Using a diet and exercise, i've lost 10 lbs in 3 weeks I feel pretty good... Although I still look the same visually, I am 10 lbs lighter and I feel great
#4

Suzanne 3FC , 11-05-2002 09:54 PM

After searching for the last hour, I could not find any reputable recommendations of these products. What I did learn is that any claims are based on theory and not clinical evidence. The term "Carb Blocker" or "Carb Inhibitor" is a new spin on an old scam, the infamous Starch Blockers. The only positive references and testimonials were on the sites that sold them. I never trust what I read from a biased resource. Radio DJs are well known for their PAID endorsements of products such as these, and this has been going on for as long as I can remember.

I found this information by a physician which was interesting...

Quote:
This is complete nonsense. If you managed to completely block all
digestion of starch you ate, the bacteria in your intestine would get the sugars and you'd blow up like a balloon from gas, and then have diarrhea. Exactly like having lactose intolerance, and for the same reason. In fact, the well-known gas from beans is also a result of incompletely digested sugars in beans. Stuff that isn't digested higher up, will always get digested by bacteria further down, and with disasterous results. There is actually a prescription starch digestion blocker on the market for diabetics (called "Precose" or acarbose), but its effect is only to slow digestion of starch down, not stop it. Nearly the same calories are absorbed, and even here, the major side effects are (you guessed it) gas and diarrhea.

Several studies of the actually effect of weight-loss "starch
blockers" are in the literature. In one famous one, the entire gut was washed out with a "colonoscopy prep solution" several hours after a test meal, or a test meal with starch blocker. This was done for a number of subjects. The caloric content of both kinds of washout mixtures was measured (yeah, gross work, but it's science). The result? No difference.* These things are scams. They don't even block starch digestion as well as Precose, and Precose is no good for weight loss.

Steve Harris, M.D.

*Citations of Basic Science

Bo-Linn GW, et al: Starch-blockers-- their effects on calorie
absorption from a high-starch meal. N Engl J Med 307:1413, 1982.

Garrow JS, et al: Starch blockers are ineffective in man. Lancet
1:60, 1983.

Carlson GL, et al: A bean alpha-amylase inhibitor formulation (is
ineffective in man). Science 219:393, 1983.

Commentary:

Starch blockers-- still no calorie free lunch. N Engl J Med
307:1444, 1982
#5

Suzanne 3FC , 11-05-2002 09:55 PM

Oh, and contratulations on your 10lb loss!!
#6

Derek , 11-15-2002 10:46 PM

Thanks
Im going to do a walk-a-thon 5 mile tomorrow (walk or run) and I have cut down drastically on soda (down from about 3-5 cans a day, to about 2-3 a week) which I think has alot to do with it... now if I can just shake the fast food...

Closed