Phaseolamin is a generic name for a proteinaceous
inhibitorEnzyme inhibitors are molecules that bind to enzymes and decrease their activity. Since blocking an enzyme's activity can kill a pathogen or correct a metabolic imbalance, many drugs are enzyme inhibitors. They are also used as herbicides and pesticides...
of the
enzymeEnzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates, and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, called the products. Almost all processes in a biological cell need enzymes to occur at...
alpha-amylaseα-Amylase is the major form of amylase found in humans and other mammals. It is also an enzyme present in seeds which reserves are made of starch, or in fungi...
that is made from white beans. A number of
amylaseAn amylase is an enzyme that breaks starch down into sugar. Amylase is present in human saliva, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Foods that contain much starch but little sugar, such as rice and potato, taste slightly sweet as they are chewed because amylase turns some of their...
inhibitors from white beans have been marketed over the years as weight control remedies.
As reported in
JAMAJAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal, published 48 times per year by the American Medical Association...
, early phaseolamin products did not have sufficient potency or stability to effect any
in vivoIn vivo refers to experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
changes. In addition, impurities contained therein caused complaints of GI distress including flatulence.
Phaseolamin is a generic name for a proteinaceous
inhibitorEnzyme inhibitors are molecules that bind to enzymes and decrease their activity. Since blocking an enzyme's activity can kill a pathogen or correct a metabolic imbalance, many drugs are enzyme inhibitors. They are also used as herbicides and pesticides...
of the
enzymeEnzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates, and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, called the products. Almost all processes in a biological cell need enzymes to occur at...
alpha-amylaseα-Amylase is the major form of amylase found in humans and other mammals. It is also an enzyme present in seeds which reserves are made of starch, or in fungi...
that is made from white beans. A number of
amylaseAn amylase is an enzyme that breaks starch down into sugar. Amylase is present in human saliva, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Foods that contain much starch but little sugar, such as rice and potato, taste slightly sweet as they are chewed because amylase turns some of their...
inhibitors from white beans have been marketed over the years as weight control remedies.
Background
As reported in
JAMAJAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal, published 48 times per year by the American Medical Association...
, early phaseolamin products did not have sufficient potency or stability to effect any
in vivoIn vivo refers to experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
changes. In addition, impurities contained therein caused complaints of GI distress including flatulence. In the late 1990s, the first standardized
starchStarch or amylum is a polysaccharide carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds.Starch is produced by all green plants as an energy store and is a major food source for humans....
blocker, "Phase 2 Carb Controller" (also known as StarchLite), was developed . Phase 2 is a fractionated extract of the white bean that has been clinically shown in 13 studies to delay the digestion and absorption of starch calories. Phase 2 neutralizes some of the digestive enzyme alpha amylase, temporarily delaying the digestion and absorption of
carbohydrateCarbohydrates
[Means "hydrates of carbon"] or saccharides
[The word comes from the Greek σάκχαρον, sákcharon, meaning "sugar").] are the most abundant of the four major classes of biomolecules...
s, allowing a portion of them to pass through the system before they can be converted into
glucoseGlucose , a monosaccharide also known as - grape sugar, blood sugar, or corn sugar, is a very important carbohydrate in biology. The living cell uses it as a source of energy and metabolic intermediate...
, and then fat. Phase 2 is considered generally recognized as safe by independent toxicologists and usually does not cause side effects. Phase 2 is available as an ingredient that can be formulated in a variety of nutritional supplements, foods and beverages. It is also sold as "StarchLite" in Europe.
Clinical trial results
A
double-blindThe blind method is a part of the scientific method, used to prevent research outcomes from being influenced by either the placebo effect or the observer bias. To blind a person involved in research is to prevent them from knowing certain information about the process...
, placebo-controlled study of 60 human subjects showed that those who took Phase 2 lost an average of 6.45 lbs in 30 days, compared to those on
placeboA placebo is a sham medical intervention. In one common placebo procedure, a patient is given an inert sugar pill, told that it may improve his/her condition, but not told that it is in fact inert...
, who lost less than 1 lb, on average. Those participants on Phase 2 also lost, on average, over 10% of body fat mass, and more than 3% in waist circumference. The study was conducted by Leonardo Celleno MD, Alessandra D’Amore MD, and Maria Toliani of the
Cosmetic Research Center, Rome, Italy. Analysis was conducted by Harry Preuss MD,
Georgetown University Medical CenterGeorgetown University Medical Center is the medical campus at Georgetown University. It is also a $225 million biomedical research and educational organization. The Medical Center contains over 80% of Georgetown University's sponsored research funding and is led by Howard J...
; and
Nicholas PerriconeDr. Nicholas Perricone , MD, is a dermatologist who has written several books, primarily on the subjects of weight loss and maintaining the appearance of youth. Dr. Perricone is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, from which he received his MD....
MD, "Clinical Creations",
Meriden-Australia:*Meriden School, an Anglican school for girls in Strathfield, New South Wales, Australia-United Kingdom:*Meriden, Hertfordshire, England*Meriden, West Midlands, England**The Meriden Gap, named after the above village...
CT. The study was published in the
International Journal of Medical SciencesInternational Journal of Medical Sciences is an Open Access medical journal published by Ivyspring International Publisher. The scope of the journal covers various areas of basic medical sciences, clinical and experimental research related to the studies of human diseases. Articles include...
, 2007.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled,
crossoverA crossover study is a longitudinal study in which subjects receive a sequence of different treatments . While crossover studies can be observational studies, many important crossover studies are controlled experiments, which are discussed in this article...
pilot study of 11 adult human subjects showed that starch absorption averaged 66% less in the group taking Phase 2. The study was conducted by Joe A. Vinson, Ph.D., and Donna M. Shuta, B.S., Department of Chemistry,
University of ScrantonThe University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a university in...
, April 24, 2002.
A double-blind, human pilot study published in
Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine found that those who ate the most carbohydrates and took a supplement containing Phase 2, lost significantly more weight and inches from their waist than the placebo group. When
stratifiedIn statistics, stratified sampling is a method of sampling from a population.When sub-populations vary considerably, it is advantageous to sample each subpopulation independently. Stratification is the process of grouping members of the population into relatively homogeneous subgroups before...
by total carbohydrate intake, the Phase 2 group lost an average of 8.7 lbs and 3.3 inches off their waists, while the placebo group lost an average of 1.7 lbs and 1.3 inches. The results were statistically significant.
In a clinical trial performed by Jay Udani, MD (Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCLA School of Medicine), a randomly selected group of obese subjects were given 1500 mg of Phase 2 twice daily with meals. Over the period of the eight week trial, which 27 subjects completed, the group using Phase 2 showed an average weight loss of 3.79 pounds, compared with an average of 1.65 pounds for subjects taking a placebo. No adverse effects were observed during the trial. The study was published in
Alternative Medicine Review, Volume 9, Number 2, March 2004.
An open-label 6-arm crossover study with 13 randomized subjects using standardized GI testing showed that the GI of
Wonder brand white breadWonder Bread is the name of three North American brands of white bread: One produced by George Weston Bakeries in Canada, another by Interstate Bakeries Corporation in the United States, and the third by Grupo Bimbo in Mexico.- United States :...
was significantly reduced by the addition of 3000 mg of the Phase 2/StarchLite white bean extract in powder form with other dosages and formulations trending toward significance. The study was conducted by Jay Udani, MD Medical Director, Medicus Research)