New Study: Phase 2

January 22, 2010

Posted by Carey Rossi

Imagine eating your favorite white bread without the effects of a blood sugar spike, just by taking a pill. Well, in a scene straight out of The Jetsons, this could be a reality. According to research published in the Nutrition Journal, 3,000 mg of the supplement Phase 2® decreased the glycemic index of white bread when consumed at the same time.

Phase 2 is a supplement derived from white kidney beans. The glycemic index measures how quickly foods release carbohydrates into the body, which in turn raise blood glucose levels. When a food has a high GI rating, it means that it raises blood sugar levels rapidly. The lower the rating, the longer it takes the food to digest and release sugar into the blood stream as well as make you feel full longer. And this is where the secret of the supplement as it applies to weight loss reveals itself.

If you can eat your favorite high glycemic index foods such as bread and pasta, but lower their effect on your blood sugar so you feel satiated for longer, then you will eat less.

How did they figure this out? When Phase 2 was analyzed in vitro, it inhibited the digesting enzyme alpha-amylase, which is secreted in the saliva and is responsible for breaking down starches into sugars. Because of this, scientist hypothesized that the inhibition of alpha-amylase may lower food’s glycemic index.

So they fed 13 subjects between the ages of 24 and 44 white bread with butter and a dose of Phase 2 in seven different testing sessions. The dosages were taken in capsule form (1,500 mg, 2,000 mg and 3,000 mg) and in powder form with the dosages (same as the capsule) mixed into the butter and spread on the bread. The powder form of Phase 2 in the 3,000 mg dose significant decreased the glycemic index of the bread, while the capsule formulation at the 1,500 mg dose had no effect on GI and both the 2,000 mg and 3,000 mg capsule doses caused GI reductions, though insignificant.

Researchers concluded that their next step is to repeat the study with a larger sample size and determine whether 2,000 mg and 300 mg of Phase 2 in powder and capsule form can lower the GI of other high GI foods, such as pasta and rice. (J K Udani, B B Singh, M L Barrett and H G Preuss. Nutrition Journal. Published online ahead of print: doi:10.1186/1475-2891-8-52.)