Carb Bloc

Ultimate Nutrition’s Carb Bloc is a member of the growing family of weight loss supplements that are using white kidney bean to slow the digestion of carbs in the body, meaning that fewer of the calories from the demonized carbohydrate family are going to make it into our blood stream and ultimately fat stores. Or so the story goes.

The Good

Although there hasn’t been a tremendous amount of research done on white kidney bean extract, there has been enough to receive positive results. In a study done on sixty slightly overweight people, thirty percent more people who were taking the white kidney bean extract, paired with their own weight loss regimen, saw weight loss results than the group who was taking the placebo.

The Bad

Despite these positive results, we still don’t think Carb Bloc is the silver bullet pill for weight loss we’ve been looking for. Because white kidney bean does slow the digestion of carbohydrates, or starches, in the small intestine, it ends up in the large intestine without the proper preparation that the small intestine usually gives food. With this reversal, the undigested carbs ferment, give off gas, cause bloating and diarrhea. If this doesn’t sound like it would deter you from the chance that you could see more weight loss by using supplements like Carb Bloc, take others’ advice: even those who saw results from using white kidney bean extract discontinued their use of the extract shortly because the side effects weren’t worth the benefits.

The Skinny

Although there have been some encouraging results from supplements like Carb Bloc that use white kidney bean extract to stop the body digesting the carbohydrates you eat, there hasn’t been enough research, or any at all, conducted on the long term effects this could have on the body. Quite frankly, we don’t think that it is a good idea to alter the body’s digestive system in such a way, and think supplements like Carb Bloc could have negative ramifications on the body.