White Kidney Bean Diet

Obesity puts a person at risk for various chronic conditions including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. A natural dietary supplement made from the extract of white kidney beans might help. This white kidney bean diet claims to be a starch-blocker that could promote weight loss.

Identification

The extract derived from the northern white kidney bean, called phaseolus vulgaris, is believed to inhibit the activity of digestive enzymes in overweight individuals. The theory is that this extract may reduce carbohydrate-derived calories and promote weight loss by interfering with the breakdown of complex carbohydrate to simple sugars.

How It Works

"Science Daily" reports on the white bean extract diet supplement introduced by UCLA researchers. Starch is broken down into sugar and stays in the bloodstream until it is eventually stored as fat, says Steven Rosenblatt, a family practice doctor in Los Angeles. By reducing amounts of starches and carbohydrates in the diet, the body burns off fat stored as energy. Rosenblatt describes the digestive enzymes in the body as scissors cutting starches into little sugars. The white bean extract stops the enzymes from cutting, allowing starches to remain as long fibers that burn off quicker. The result is weight loss.

Effectiveness

A double-blind study in 2007, conducted on 60 slightly overweight subjects, tested phaseolus vulgaris extract and found a greater reduction of body weight, fat mass, tissue thickness and waist, hip and thigh circumferences than with a placebo. The results, published in the "International Journal of Medical Sciences," indicate that phaseolus vulgaris extract produces significant decrease in body weight and fat mass while maintaining lean body mass.

Safety

A 2006 paper published in the "International Journal of Toxicology" reports the findings of oral toxicity in rats given white bean extract. The study observed no marked adverse effects with high levels of the extract, consistent with the safety of the standardized extract derived from the common white kidney bean.

Toxicity

The phaseolus vulgaris from white kidney beans, although one-third less toxic than red kidney beans, can cause symptoms with as few as four or five beans ingested. These symptoms can include extreme nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, according to Food Reference.com. The severity of the poisoning is related to the dose ingested and can occur as a result of improper cooking practices. "Science Daily" warns that the white bean diet is not recommended for pregnant women or diabetics because of the risk of it lowering blood sugar.