White Kidney Bean Extract

What is it?

• NIH Factsheets
  • White kidney bean or bean pod (Phaseolus vulgaris) is a legume marketed as carbohydrate- or starch-absorption “blockers” under Phase 2®, Starchlite®, and Phaselite™ brands
  • Laboratory research indicates that Phaseolus vulgaris extract inhibits alpha-amylase activity, so experts have hypothesized that the plant interferes with the breakdown and absorption of carbohydrates in the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Might also act as an appetite suppressant, but probably not.
  • Few clinical trials, with inconsistent results, but generally indicate the product modestly yet significantly reduced body weight and body fat. However, none of these trials is large or long term.
  • No serious adverse effects of Phaseolus vulgaris have been reported in clinical trials, but no trials have lasted longer than 13 weeks.
• How Does White Kidney Bean Extract Work?

FDA Approved?

• FDA Drugs Database
  • Search for all three brand names “Phase 2”, “Starchlite”, and “Phaselite”), and generic terms “White kidney bean”, “phaseolamin”, and “Phaseolus vulgaris”; no search produced any results.
  • ∴ Product is not FDA approved.

Why not just eat beans?

This option doesn’t get the same consideration, since nobody stands to make big bucks selling common beans. But they do help people lose weight.

• Eating Beans Keeps You Slim...
• The G.I.Diet
• What Kind of Beans Should I eat?
• 9 Foods to Help You Lose Weight
• Does Eating Beans Help You Lose Weight?
• To Bean Or Not To Bean, That Is The Question
• Are Beans Healthy? | Wellness Mama
• Are Beans Paleo?

Is White Kidney Bean Extract for me?

(Short answer: Nope. None for me, thanks.)

• Issues. I don’t consider this guy an authority on the subject, but I do have the same issues with these products as he does.

And now, something completely different