A Guide to Carb Blockers for Weight Loss

The current lifestyle and dietary habits have made weight gain a natural side effect. The world obesity has risen to such a level that it has been realized as a global threat. Science and technology are also working to find a breakthrough solution for it.

Among st many inventions and discoveries, health supplements have been introduced in the market that helps you to lose weight. They fall into various categories.

One such favorite category of weight loss supplements is the carb blockers. In the write-up, we would walk through various understanding what carb blockers are and how effective are they.

Defining Carb Blockers

Carb blockers are also popularly known as starch blockers. Starch is nothing but complex carbohydrates which our body cannot absorb.

It is worked upon by our body enzymes specifically amylase and broken into simple sugars which are then absorbed by the body and released as glycogen in the bloodstream for energy and later for fat deposition.

Starch blockers are nothing but amylase inhibitors which block the action of the enzyme amylase. Thus, the complex starch does not get digested and absorbed and pass through the body undigested. The body is thus forced to break down deposited fats for energy, and the natural consequence is weight loss.

These starch blockers are of two types. The first type is called alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs). These require a prescription as they are used for treating high blood sugar in type 2 Diabetes.

The second type of starch blockers or alpha-amylase inhibitors is a group of compounds which naturally occur in some foods like beans. They are extracted from these and sold as nutritional supplements that help in weight loss. These do not require any prescription and can be sold to anybody looking to lose weight.

Difference between the two carb blockers

You might wonder as to what is the difference between them. Prescription drugs have been scientifically tested for their effectivity, safety and thus are FDA approved for disease treatment.

In contrast, the nutritional supplements might or might not have undergone testing and are not FDA approved.

Prescription drugs have only approved ingredients in fixed proportion for treatment. But supplements can carry some extra ingredients like stimulants which might not be safe for all especially people who have diabetes.

In this article, when talking about carb blockers, we would be specifically referring to nutritional supplements and their potential in helping you lose weight.

The science and working principle of carb blockers

The modern day weight loss craze is all about going on a low carb diet as they get digested quickly and lead to fat deposition. Carbohydrates are of two types –

• Simple carbohydrates – They are found in processed food like pasta, cold drinks, processed food, candy, fruits, milk, etc. These are very easy to digest and are not considered healthy.
• Complex carbohydrates – These are difficult to digest and are considered to be high in fiber and nutritional value. Their examples include grains, quinoa, broccoli, beans.

When we eat carbohydrates, we first chew them in our mouth. This leads to the production of saliva in the mouth and the digestive enzyme alpha-amylase as well in it. In chewing itself the process of converting complex carbohydrates into simple sugars start.

Once the food goes into the stomach, it is acted upon by various enzymes to convert them into sugars which can be absorbed by the body. The carb blockers get in action here.

The carb blockers stop the enzyme action on the food in the stomach such that the complex sugars to not convert to simple sugars.

Consequently, the complex sugars pass onto the large intestine in its original state and are later eliminated from the body as wastes. Consequently, your body gets zero calories from it even though you have consumed food and satiated your hunger.

The effectivity and safety of taking carb blockers

Now that we know how they function, it’s essential to get a few facts clear about them. They are –

• Simple sugars are readily digested and absorbed by the body. Hence carb blockers are ineffective against them. Thus, one cannot let the restriction on food items having simple sugars go. It would lead to zero weight loss, and one might even experience weight gain.

• Tests and experiments have demonstrated that carb blockers only block a maximum of 50 to 65% of carbohydrates from being absorbed by the body. This implies that they don’t stop the body from absorbing carbohydrates but merely increase the time for the enzymes to convert them into simple sugars and then be absorbed by the body.

• The effectivity of the carb blockers will depend on the amount and the type of carb that you are eating. With carb blockers, you need to eliminate simple sugars from your diet and include complex sugars to get some tangible effects.

• Carb blockers have demonstrated various other benefits. For instance, they increase the time for which the food stays in the stomach. Moreover, they also contain compound like phytohaemagglutinin which increases your feelings of satiety for longer hours, and you end up eating less.

• Carb blockers are highly effective in controlling your blood sugars by inhibiting the sugar absorption. However, people under medication should never take these supplements without the consultation and supervision of a doctor.

• By decreasing the amount of carbohydrate absorption in the small intestine, these carb blockers increase the quantity of resistant starch in the large intestine. The small intestine cannot digest them as it cannot digest the fibers. In the large intestines, the gut bacteria act upon them and ferment them to release gasses and short-chain fatty acids. Studies have shown that the resistant starch leads to decreased body fat by encouraging the body to burn fatter as well as improve blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity.

Side Effects of Carb Blockers

Crab blockers are in general considered safe to consume. Its most prominent side-effect is the gas released in the large intestine due to fermentation. This can lead to uncomfortable situations like bloating, cramping, flatulence, and diarrhea.

People on any kind of medication, pregnant and nursing mothers are advised not to take the supplement or take it only under medical supervision since the supplement directly impacts the blood sugar levels.

Finally, the supplement should be used at a person’s own discretion with regulated dosage. Unlike most other supplements, it does not give you any nutrients. Moreover, it is not a supplement that will provide you with consistent results.

They cannot be a substitute for a well-balanced meal. Thus, they should only be used for a short period to boost your weight loss efforts. Ultimately, it is a healthy lifestyle that will help you remain consistent with maintaining a lean and healthy body.

Meratol The Top Carb Blocker

Now that we understand what carb blockers are and how they function, let us review one of the most popular carb blockers available for users to try out – the Meratol.

Touted as a carb blocker as well a fat burner, it is hugely in demand and quite popular amongst people trying to lose weight.

Foremost it is manufactured and marketed by Bauer Nutrition which is an extremely reputable UK brand in the niche of weight loss and health supplements.

The brand itself gives authenticity and reliability to this diet pill. Let us walk through different aspects of this diet pill.

Key ingredients of Meratol

While creating the formula for Meratol, plenty of consideration has been given to make it highly effective and safe. It has been crafted from five basic ingredients. They are –

• Prickly pear- Also popular as Opuntia Ficas Indicas, it is a fruit of a cactus. The extract of it is used in the formula. It is abundant in indigestible fibers which are naturally fat Once they attach themselves to the fat molecules, the fat size becomes too large for the body to be absorbed. It can stop the fat absorption by about 27%. They are also abundant in antioxidants and exhibit diuretic properties. Simultaneously, they maintain the mineral balance while boosting metabolism in the body which is essential during weight loss.

• Brown Seaweed extract– When tested in animals, this brown alga extract proved highly effective in reducing the adverse effect arising out of a hypercaloric It proved the same in humans. No side-effect of it was seen either. Further, a patented extract of the brown algae, ID-alG™ has been used in this diet pill. This particular extract is known to suppress the carbohydrate absorption by the body thereby blocking the calorie absorption.

• Cactus Extract- This is another extract of cactus which is used in the formula. It too enhances the metabolism as well as reduce the food craving so that a person does not overeat.

• Capsiplex Capsicum Extract– Extracted from capsicum or red chilies, it is rich in capsaicinoid compounds which are touted to boost the body’s calorie burnout capacity by twelve times of what is achieved by exercising. Studies showed it inducing thermogenesis and lipid oxidation whose natural consequence is higher metabolic rate and higher burning of fat.

• Caffeine– It is a well-known stimulant which is added to numerous health and weight loss supplements. Caffeine is known to boost the release of adrenaline which in turn increases your metabolic rate, mental alertness as well as helps in maintaining a good mood.

Safety Considerations of Meratol

The list makes it evident that all ingredients used are natural and thus absolutely safe to consume. The only ingredient with some potential side effect is caffeine though it is in low proportion and does not cause any major side effect.

It is just 25 mg per tablet while health experts tout it as beneficial if consumed below 500 mg per day.  Apart from it, all safeguards for a weight loss pill is applicable here as well.

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Working Mechanism of Meratol

Even though Meratol is essentially a carb blocker, it has ingredients which help it to attack body fat from four different directions to expedite the weight loss. They are –

• Foremost it works as a carb blocker and prevents the carbohydrates from getting absorbed in the body resulting in few calories being made available to the body. This automatically forces the body to burn fat and thus leads to a leaner body.

• Boosts the body metabolism and thus makes the body burn more calories on a daily basis. Simultaneously, it decreases daily consumption of calories by killing your hunger pangs.

• It also reduces the fat absorption by the body and gets them eliminated from the body as wastes. Thus, it works two ways to melt down body fats.

• The cumulative effect of the action of the diet pill is that it suppresses your appetite due to which you consume fewer calories in the first place.

The overall effect of this four-fold action is a rapid loss of body weight.

Dosage and company’s stance

The brand’s dosage instructions need to be strictly adhered to. Generally, you are supposed to take two tablets of it every morning before breakfast for two to three months. It should not be taken beyond that.

A second round can be initiated after a gap of a month or so to prevent any negative effects. The company also offers a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the results, conditions apply. Nothing can be more reassuring than it.

Final words

Meratol is undoubtedly one of the most excellent car blockers available on the market.  The challenges and difficulties of weight loss have been amply kept in mind while preparing this weight loss pill. Thus, you can expect a safe and expedited weight loss.

However, it must also be remembered that it is no magic pill and should not be continued beyond a couple of months.

Supported by exercise and a well-balanced diet, it yields miraculous results. The results might not be satisfactory for a sedentary lifestyle.  Thus, carb blockers can be your best friends for some quick and easy way of shedding the extra flab.