I have a confession to make.

I truly wanted to investigate this topic objectively, but in reality, I had a hidden agenda.

I have always been opposed to using “a pill” – any pill – to lose weight and I wanted desperately to find the smoking gun and present it here to reinforce my position.

What I got was no smoking gun – more like a leaky water pistol.

It appears that the “truth” is not meant to be known – at least not yet. While my research of this topic turned up more dead ends than leads, I will share with you what I did learn.

The subject of carb blockers is a highly controversial one. With the sudden popularity of low-carb lifestyles, there is a lot of money to be made and the companies who manufacture them are heavily promoting their carb-blocking products. The FDA, on the other hand, remains curiously silent regarding carb blockers and that alone should give cause for concern. But is there truly anything to be worried about?

You may remember the ineffective “starch blockers” of the early 80’s. The FDA ordered the manufacturers of these products to suspend their sale as a weight loss aid. Claims that these blockers would inhibit starch absorption were unproven and users of said products suffered terrible bouts of cramping, gas, bloating, and diarrhea. So, for a while, starch blockers were largely ignored.

The newest, commercial “carb-blockers” contain a wheat-protein extract or a refined, white kidney bean extract, or both. The manufacturers who produce this extract claim it can inhibit the absorption of up to 66% of the starch consumed in a meal. It is believed that these extract proteins bind and inhibit the enzyme, alpha-amylase, and that this alpha-amylase inhibition prevents the breakdown of starch into sugar. This molecular breakdown takes place in the mouth and digestive tract as a result of the release of salivary and pancreatic secretions. Carb molecules are inherently large and must be broken down in order to be absorbed. If the starch is not broken down into sugar, then the carb molecule passes through the bowel as indigestible fiber. This, theoretically, means a lower impact on blood glucose levels and subsequent insulin stability, and ultimately, less weight gain.

According to one article, the Mayo Clinic performed studies comparing the two protein alpha amylase inhibitors – the wheat vs. the white bean. This study concluded that the wheat protein was more effective against both pancreatic amylase and salivary amylase, while the bean-derived protein was not.

In one of the Mayo studies, it was found that wheat-derived amylase inhibition did result in “gastrointestinal and metabolic effects that may aid in the treatment of diabetes and obesity.”

Sounds pretty good, right?

So why aren’t new studies being pursued by independent research groups? Why is the FDA not altering its stance on these products? And, more importantly, how – exactly – are the new carb blockers different from their predecessors?

These answers remain a mystery despite my exploratory research.

Every article I found promoting carb blockers appeared to be written or funded by the products’ manufacturers or a retail agent. These obviously biased articles laid claim to numerous clinical studies and medical research, but often failed to provide the research data for further analysis. Citations of medical studies were glaringly absent from most of these articles as well.

So, I decided to attempt my own medical research.

Mind you, I am not a physician and my access to this data was limited, but even using OVID and Medline databases, I came up empty-handed. And a little confused.
Several of the carb blocker articles I found compared the current, over-the-counter (OTC) products to prescription medications currently in use by endocrinologists in the management of their diabetic patients. Indeed, they pointed to the use of such medicines as Acarbose (Precose) in the control of diabetics’ glucose levels as proof that the OTC products were safe and effective. But according to my PDR (Physician’s Desk Reference), these prescription glucosidase inhibitors appear to be unrelated to the new commercial alternatives. Furthermore, there was a notable irony: while I found no medical studies or statements indicating OTC carb blockers to be unsafe -- indeed, almost no studies about them at all – there were a couple of clinical trials that alerted to the possible side effects of the prescription glucosidase inhibitors! One study from Japan indicated that there was a small, but very real concern regarding liver damage with the use of some glucosidase inhibitors.

Unfortunately, only one of the three physicians I contacted returned my calls and he does not employ alpha-amylase inhibitors in his treatment programs. Other “hopeful” avenues of information remain blocked to average consumers like you and me.
So where does that leave us regarding commercial carb blockers?

I am willing to concede that my obdurate stance against commercial carb blockers may have been unwarranted. I will even admit that the little research I did find has impressed and intrigued me.

But (and you knew there was going to be a but, right?) I hesitate to give these products my “stamp of approval.” Until the FDA rescinds it’s previous condemnation of these products and until more research and clinical studies are made available to consumers, I will hesitate to put them in MY body. There are questions that remain to be answered:

Finally, one cannot overlook the obvious reason for taking these substances: cheating our woe (way of eating). Sure, it would be nice to use them occasionally if one is going to partake of a planned, carby meal. But it’s easy to see how these carb blockers could be abused. If you want your low-carb lifestyle to work for you, then it actually has to BE low-carb. And you should know that these carb blockers do not work for sugary treats – only starches like bread, and potatoes, and rice. Again I am forced to caution, “There are NO magic pills for losing weight.”

But you already knew that, right?