We know life was a lot easier when we didn’t count calories. But if you’re here, chances are you don’t read labels and look at the calorie count before you eat something.

Having a calorie-reduced diet is probably one of the best ways to lose weight. However, it is difficult to count your calories every time you eat out or at home.

Carb cutters or carb blocker capsules promise to reduce the calories in your meal by up to 40 percent. So a normal 14-inch pizza, which has about 600 calories in 2 slices, will become 350.

potential benefits

These capsules, which are marketed as an organic way to not only reduce calorie count, but also help with:

• maintaining lean mass
• maintaining stable blood sugar
• Reducing fat

But how does it work?

Carb cutters or carb blockers, marketed as a one-stop solution to all your weight loss problems, work by blocking the enzymes needed to digest certain carbohydrates.

Pooja Shah Bhave, consultant dietitian and certified diabetes educator and faculty member at Delhi-based Lifeness Science Institute, says that to understand how Carb Cutter works, we must first understand carbohydrates and how they are digested.

Carbohydrates are broadly of two types, says Pooja: simple sugars and starches.

• Simple sugars are short-chain carbohydrates that include sucrose, fructose, lactose, etc.
• The sources of simple sugars are mainly sugar, molasses, honey, sweet foods, flavoured beverages, fruits and milk.
• Starch is a long-chain carbohydrate made up of many ‘glucose’ units.
• The most common types of starch are found in refined grains, wheat, rice, bakery and processed foods, and starchy fruits and vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, etc.
• The digestion of ‘starch’ starts in the mouth itself by an enzyme called ‘salivary amylase’ present in the saliva, and some amount of glucose starts getting released in the mouth and stomach.
• The pancreas then also releases the enzyme ‘amylase’ (pancreatic amylase) into the small intestine, which completes the digestion of starch, leaving behind small glucose molecules.
• Next, the small intestine releases specific enzymes, such as lactase and sucrase, which digest lactose and sucrose.
• At this stage, digestion is complete and glucose, fructose and other simple sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream.

“An unbalanced diet that is high in starch or simple sugars (70 per cent of daily calories come from carbohydrates) and low in fibre and protein leads to obesity,” says Pooja.

Now, the main ingredients in these carb blockers are white kidney beans, apple peel extract or mulberry extract, which work by blocking the enzyme ‘amylase’ which is involved in the digestion of starch (amylose and amylopectin).

“it [carb blockers] “It can break down a lot of starch, break it down into glucose (reducing the digestion of starch) and leave it undigested, which helps eliminate fibre from our bodies,” explains Pooja.

Carb Blockers in the Market

In India, many carb blockers are available not only as supplements, but also as convenient capsules that you can take an hour before your meal. The price of these products ranges from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 for 30 capsules.

Carb blocker capsules are gaining popularity in the Indian market due to the social media and endorsement by Bollywood celebrities like Huma Qureshi.

Eatfit, a New Delhi-based eatery known for its healthy menu, also lets you add these carb cutters when ordering from third-party apps like Swiggy or Zomato.

What do experts think about it?

Experts are not completely convinced with these capsules, and some of the claims made in them have been found to be misleading.

For example, Jinal Patel, a dietitian at Zinova Shalby Hospital in Mumbai, explains, india today“There is no way to reduce the total calorie content of food after it is consumed. Where will these calories go once they are reduced?”

Other experts have raised the same question.

However, if we look at the ingredients of these capsules, they may have some other benefits as well, such as they can help control your carbohydrate levels, which in turn may aid in weight loss.

P.S.: Calories measure the energy provided by food, while carbohydrates are a type of nutrient that the body converts into energy. Carbohydrates contain calories, but calories can also come from fat and protein.

Let’s break down the ingredients

According to Mumbai-based clinical nutritionist, dietician, weight loss and lactation expert Reshma Nakate, one of the main ingredients present in almost all the pills is white kidney bean extract, which can act as a carbohydrate blocker.

“it [white bean extract] Reshma says, “It works by inhibiting the digestion of starches. By inhibiting their digestion, the starches consumed either remain undigested in the intestine or the amount digested is reduced. These starches are either excreted and their calories are not absorbed, or they are given to colon bacteria to ferment (eat).”

Another key ingredient in these carb blockers is mulberry leaf which, according to Pooja, helps with carbohydrate digestion.

He also added that some studies have also shown that this extract can reduce the digestion of simple sugars as well as starch.

‘May help with weight loss’

Now, if you are wondering what benefits blocking carbohydrates can provide, experts say that by blocking carbohydrate absorption over time, your body can start using stored fat and protein for energy, leading to weight loss.

For example, Pooja explained that several studies prove that carb cutters are effective in modest weight loss. She mentioned one study conducted over 4-12 weeks that showed that people taking carb cutters like white kidney bean extract lost 0.5-2.5 kg more than the placebo group.

Taking a carb cutter before a high-starch meal like bread also lowers the glycemic index (GI) of the meal. Low-GI foods help maintain stable blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of fluctuations and promoting satiety.

However, Pooja and other experts caution that one study is not enough and more research is needed to prove the effectiveness of these capsules.

Side effects

Although these carb-cutter capsules have few side effects, experts like Jinal warn that they can affect your digestive system.

Other possible side effects may include the following:

• Diarrhea
• Swelling
• Abdominal distension
• Twitch

Experts also recommend that people with diabetes who are taking insulin should talk to their doctor before using carb blockers, because if the insulin dosage is not adjusted properly, it can lead to low blood sugar levels.

The last morsel

Jinal suggests that instead of relying on supplements for weight loss, the first step should be to find foods that can replace these supplements. For example, she recommends high-fibre foods like chia seeds, oats, avocados as good alternatives to carb blockers.

Additionally, it’s important to maintain a healthy lifestyle to achieve long-term results, even if you’re using carb blockers.