A Weight-Loss Supplement The FDA Says Might Really Work

Government regulatory agencies are usually not big fans of
weight-loss supplements. In January 2007, for example, the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined four supplement companies
a total of $25 million for making what the FTC said were
unscientific claims about their weight-loss products.

I'm sensitive to such a slight (even if I think the FTC was
right in this case) because I'm the co-author of a book about
science-backed vitamin and herbal supplements that can aid
weight loss, The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy (Broadway, 2007).

I wrote the book with Harry Preuss, MD, a professor at
Georgetown University Medical Center, a researcher with more
than 300 scientific studies to his credit, a nutritionist, and
a world-class expert in using natural remedies for weight-loss.

Dr. Preuss and I were very careful to present only the
vitamins, herbs and food factors that study after study shows
can safely and effectively help you lose weight—by gently
boosting metabolism…or slowing the body's fat-making
machinery…or reducing appetite…or building calorie-burning
muscle…or blocking the absorption of fats and carbohydrates.

The natural remedies featured in the book include (get ready
for a barrage of acronyms):

• EGCG (green tea extract)
• CLA (conjugated linoleic acid)
• HCA (hydroxycitric acid)
• MCT (medium-chain triglycerides)
• Chromium
• Chitosan and other soluble fibers
• 5-HTP (5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan)
• HMB

And there's one more weight-loss remedy on that list. It's a
natural substance so effective, that the FDA has given
permission for products containing it to include on their
labels the fact that the supplement works.

The ingredient is a carbohydrate digestive enzyme inhibitor, or
what is more commonly known as a starch-blocker.

Extracted from white kidney beans, it works by blocking the
action of alpha amylase, the digestive enzyme that breaks down
starch in the intestines. The result: it prevents a portion of
the carbohydrates in any high-carb food (like pasta, bread or
potatoes) from being absorbed.

And that's a good thing if your diet includes lots of refined
carbohydrates from white bread and white flour, which are often
stored in the body as fat. With carb-blockers, you can have your
cake (or at least an occasional slice) and eat it too.

In 2005, Dr. Preuss helped conduct a 1-month Italian study on
carb-blockers. The researchers gave either starch-blockers or a
placebo to 60 overweight but healthy people, aged 25 to 45, who
ate a carbohydrate-rich diet of 2000- to 2500-calories a day.
Their weight was measured at the beginning and end of the
1-month study.

The people taking the starch blockers lost 10 times more weight
than the people taking the placebo—6.6 pounds, compared to 0.6.

A year earlier, researchers at the UCLA School of Medicine
found that dieters taking a starch-blocker lost twice as much
weight as people taking a placebo.

In both cases, the researchers were studying Phase 2, a
starch-blocker ingredient used in many brands, like Carb
Intercept from Natrol, Carb Shredder from Vitamin Shoppe, Carbo
Tame from Jarrow Formulas, Phase 2 from Now, and Starch Blocker
from CVS.

In November 2006, the FDA told the manufacturers of Phase 2,
Pharmachem Laboratories, Inc., they could use the following two
statements on products containing Phase 2:

May assist in weight control when used in conjunction with a
sensible diet and exercise program, and

May reduce the enzymatic digestion of dietary starches.

If you decide to take a carb-blocker, here are a few helpful
tips from Dr. Preuss. Take it with 8-ounces of water to help
absorb the supplement. Take it with a meal, either right before
or right after. And follow the dosage recommendation on the
label.

And remember that carb-blockers are not miracle pills. (There
are no miracle diet pills.) You can't eat a couple of doughnuts
every day and take carb-blockers and not gain weight.

If you'd like to know more about carb-blockers or any of the
weight-loss supplements mentioned in this article, please take
a look at my book, The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy. You can find
out more about it—and my other books on health and healing—at
www.drugfreehealing.com.

About The Author: Yours for better health, Bill Gottlieb,
author The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy and Alternative Cures (1.5
million copies in print) billgottlieb@drugfreehealing.com
http://www.drugfreehealing.com

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