Do Carb Blockers Work And What Are They?

What Are Carb Blockers?

Carb blockers are here to stay.Ever since research came out stating that carbs are bad and fat is not, people have been doing what they can to reduce their intake of the starchy substance (1). Enter the carb blockers into the equation. If you follow the keto diet, then your carbohydrate intake is probably pretty low. However, some keto dieters and people on regular diets are taking their carbohydrate restriction one step further by supplementing with carb blockers. But if you’re already on a low-carb diet, do you really need a carb blocker or could taking one be doing more harm than good? In this blog post, we will talk about what carb blockers are, how they work, and whether or not you should take them on the ketogenic diet and other diets for that matter.

What Exactly Is A Carb Blocker Anyway?

Carb blockers, aka starch blockers, are substances or a combination of substances that help block the absorption of carbohydrates in your digestive tract. They usually consist of natural, plant-based chemicals that you can take in capsule supplement form. However, some brands of prescription carb blockers are also available to help treat type 2 diabetes. In case you were wondering why someone would want to prevent their body from absorbing carbohydrates, keep in mind that excess refined carbohydrates have been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic disease, and more (2, 3, 4).

When you have too much glucose in your diet, it stimulates the production of insulin, which delivers any excess glucose in your blood to your fat, muscle, and liver cells for energy. Ingesting too much carbs and sugary drinks can also contribute to confusion, forgetfulness, and a lack of focus and mental clarity,migraines, depression and skin issues.(5). If you’re on a keto diet, you probably already know that eating too many carbohydrates will throw you out of a ketogenic state, which is the fat-burning metabolic process responsible for all of the diet’s health benefits. For this reason, some ketogenic dieters use carb blockers to reduce the effects of overeating carb ( This will be discussed in detail below).

Anti-carbs are designed to “block” the breakdown of starches in your body so they don’t pool in your blood. Carbohydrate blockers prevent certain enzymes from breaking down and digesting carbohydrates and instead have then excreted from your digestive system without adding any nutrients. This means that your body does not accept any of the calories, nutrients, or glucose from the carbohydrate molecule.

What Are The Carb Blockers That Work? 

There are two main types of carb blockers that you can take. The first is known as alpha-amylase inhibitors and they are usually sold as dietary supplements. You can find these at any supplement store. The primary ingredient in these types of carb blockers is white kidney bean extract, which is also known as Phaseolus vulgaris extract. Research shows that white kidney bean extract has a low glycemic index and slows the absorption of carbohydrates by inhibiting enzymes responsible for their digestion (6). Specifically, white kidney bean extract helps induce weight loss when taken in amounts of 500 to 3000 mg per day and cuts down on the intensity of a spike in blood sugar levels often associated after meals ,especially dinner. Additional research shows that white kidney bean extract substantially decreases fat mass and helps preserve lean body mass (7).

Another study found that people who took 1000 mg of white kidney bean extract before meals for four weeks lost more weight and had a more substantial reduction in waist size than the placebo group who ingested the same number of carbohydrates (8). The second type of carb blocker comes in prescription form and is referred to as an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor or an AGI. Most AGI’s are used to treat type 2 diabetes or people with impaired glucose tolerance (9).   Research shows that they are derived from bacteria and delay the absorption of carbohydrates in the small intestine, which lowers after meal blood glucose and insulin levels to help control and prevent diabetes (10, 11).  The most common types of AGIs that are available for prescription use include acarbose, voglibose, and miglitol (12).

What Makes These AGIS Tick Anyway?

One of the enzymes in your body that is important for breaking down carbohydrates is called amylase. It is produced in your pancreas and works by breaking down longer carbohydrate chains into simple sugars where they are easily digested and absorbed in the body. Alpha-amylase inhibitors work by inhibiting this enzyme from doing its job. Specifically, it prevents your pancreas from creating this digestive enzyme. There is another type of enzyme responsible for breaking down glycogen molecules called alpha-glucosidase. AGI’s work by preventing alpha-glucosidase from doing its job. When alpha-glucosidase is restricted, carbohydrates cannot be broken down as easily and this impedes glucose absorption, which helps keep your blood sugar levels much more stabilized.

As you can see, both types of carb blockers work by preventing enzymes from breaking down carbohydrates so that your body doesn’t absorb them. They just target different enzymes. Although you can’t get ahold of an AGI without a prescription, you can easily find white kidney bean extract at just about any health food store. You can also look into taking Salacia Research shows that Salacia extract significantly lowers glucose and insulin, which plays an important role in reducing after meal hyperglycemia (13). The chemicals in salacia seem to prevent sugars in food from being absorbed by the body.

It’s important to keep in mind that carb blockers only prevent the breakdown of complex carbohydrates and not simple carbs. This is important because it means that you can’t indulge in your favorite Soda or candies and expect a carb blocker to save you from the fat inducing calories and resultant sugar rush. Carb blockers work by preventing the breakdown of complex carbs with longer sugar chains into smaller, simple sugar molecules. If you eat simple sugars that are already broken down and don’t need an enzyme to further help with the breakdown process, then a carb blocker will do zilch for you.

Are There Any Benefits To Reducing Your Carb Intake?

Cutting carbs has many benefits on the body. Low-carb diets have been associated with weight loss, type 2 diabetes control and prevention, and a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome among other conditions. People who switch from a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet to a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet often report feeling better immediately (14). Carb blockers act similarly to resistant starch in the body because they cannot be broken down by the digestive enzymes in your GI tract. This means they go through the digestive system undigested and aid in gut health, similar to fiber.

Research shows that the carb blocker Kidney bean extract can assist with weight loss and decrease triglycerides. You can also use white bean extract to help lower the glycemic index of high GI foods, such as white bread (15, 16). More research indicates that white bean extract decreases food intake, including calories from highly delicious foods, body weight, fat deposits, and glycemia in rats. This is because carb blockers control some of the hormones that affect your hunger, especially the hunger hormone ghrelin (17).

What Are Some Of The Side Effects?

Although carb blockers in the form of white kidney bean extract are generally considered safe, you won’t want to overdo it and take too much of it. Doing so might cause digestive upset such as stomach pain, gas, diarrhea,bloating, cramping, or constipation. Common side effects of prescription AGIs include cramping, diarrhea, upset stomach, and gas. As we mentioned before, carb blockers may also cause you to develop negative habits when it comes to carbohydrate intake such as including more “cheat” meals in your diet.

Do Carb Blockers Work?

Although carb blockers sound like they could be your salvation if you decide to pig out on a large pizza, you may want to think again. Research shows that carb blockers only prevent about 53 percent of amylase and 66 percent of α-glucosidase (18). In other words, just because carb blockers prevented the pancreas from producing 53 percent of amylase doesn’t mean that you will be protected against 53 percent of the carbs in your meal. For example, one study found that although an amylase inhibitor prevented 96 percent of the enzyme from being formed, it still only prevented a small percentage of the carbohydrate meal from being absorbed (19).

So while carb blockers might do a good job at preventing certain enzymes from being formed in the pancreas, there is no guarantee that you will be shielded against carbohydrate absorption from a meal high in carbs. On the other hand, the ketogenic diet has proven to be effective for weight loss and other positive health outcomes. It’s an easy way to block carbs from your diet without having to take a supplement that interferes with your enzyme production or the role of your pancreas, which is an important part of the digestive process and would be better off left alone and not messed with.

Should People On The Keto Diet Take Carb Blockers?

The best and most efficient way to reduce your carbohydrate absorption is to cut back on eating them. The ketogenic diet reduces your overall carbohydrate intake to less than five percent of your daily calories. Doing so puts your body into a state of ketosis, which has numerous benefits including better blood sugar control, weight loss, and improved neurological function. There are no shortcuts when you use the ketogenic diet, and it has been proven as a useful weight loss tool. On the other hand, carb blockers could be risky and they allow for bad habits. Instead of giving up carbohydrates altogether, carb blockers give you the sensation that you can “cheat” or eat more carbohydrates than you’re allowed on the ketogenic diet. We recommend avoiding carb blockers whenever possible and focusing your attention on making smart ketogenic choices.

Get your carbs from low-carb vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and zucchini. It’s OK to enjoy berries in moderation, but this should be the extent of your sugar intake. Plus, berries and vegetables are loaded with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber that benefit your health; therefore, you won’t want to block these carbs from being absorbed anyway. Carb blockers set you up for a mindset that allows you to eat foods that you shouldn’t as long as you take a carb blocker first. When you avoid carb blockers and focus on eating a well-balanced ketogenic diet instead, you automatically cash in on the health benefits of a low-carb diet without having to take a carb blocker to get there.

Of course, carb blockers are not off limits, some people still take them on their normal diets. Many of the proven benefits of carb blockers, such as weight loss and blood sugar control, can be achieved by following the ketogenic diet alone. There’s no need to use carb blocker on the keto diet. Also don’t confuse carb blocker with exogenous ketones, they are not the same thing. You can learn more about an excellent exogenous ketone supplement by clicking here.

Conclusion

Carbohydrate blockers can be a useful tool if you want to reduce the effect of carbs on your weight and blood sugar. There are two main types of carb blockers. The first is kidney bean extract, and you can buy it at almost any health food store. The second type is known as AGI, and is only available by prescription.

Both types of carb blockers work by preventing the pancreas from producing the enzymes needed to break down carbohydrates. Without this enzyme, complex carbohydrates cannot be broken down into smaller molecules that are easily absorbed by the small intestine, meaning they pass through the digestive tract without any impact on your calories or blood sugar level.

However, carb blockers only work on complex carbohydrates. They won’t do anything for you if you eat simple sugars, like sugary cereals and soda pop. For this reason, we recommend staying away from carb blockers and focus your attention on maintaining a healthy ketogenic diet. You will also get more health benefits if you stick to a low carb diet. Plus, you’ll be less likely to form bad habits when it comes to cheating on your keto diet by eating too many carbs. We recommend focusing on antioxidant rich berries such as Blueberries and low-carb vegetables, such as Kale and Green Beans as your primary source of carbs and staying away from carb blockers altogether. By the way, please let me know how some of these are working for you after you’ve in fact ordered,and tried it in the comments below,Thanks!