It was only in recent decades that obesity and being overweight were considered epidemic issues. From 1980s to the 1990s, the prevalence of obesity increased sharply in the United states of America (USA), Europe, and Asia Pacific. By 2008, it was estimated that about half a billion adults were obese globally.
Carbohydrates are a main source of dietary calories in the overweight and obese. In order to be absorbed by the body, carbohydrates are broken down into monosaccharides. Two major enzymes catalyze this process: amylase and glucosidase. Amylase converts complex carbohydrates such as starch into oligosaccharides; the glucosidase enzymes further break these down to monosaccharides. Common beans (Phaseolus spp.) contain amylase inhibitors in three forms, namely, alpha-A1, alpha-A12, and alpha-AIL. These glycoproteins bind to alpha-amylase noncovalently, mainly through hydrophobic interaction, inhibiting starch digestion.
Researchers from Germany and the UK published a study on Obesity journal investigating on the IQP-PV-101 product (marketed globally under the Phase 2, Starchlite and PhaseLite brands), contains extracts of Phaseolus vulgaris. Researchers aimed to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of IQP-PV-101 in weight management in obese and overweight Caucasian adults, in two phases. The WL phase was a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study where all subjects followed a strict diet plan; the second phase was the weight maintenance (WM) study over 24 weeks, where the subjects’ energy intake was ad libitum.
The safety and efficacy of IQP-PV-101, a proprietary extract of Phaseolus vulgaris, on weight management in two phases was evaluated here. The weight loss (WL) phase was conducted over 12 weeks and the weight maintenance (WM) phase took 24 weeks.
In the double-blind WL phase, subjects were randomized to receive either IQP-PV-101 or placebo. All subjects adhered to a mildly hypocaloric diet. Body weight and other body composition parameters were measured at baseline and every 4 weeks thereafter.
During the single arm, open label WM trial, energy intake was ad libitum. Efficacy parameters were measured at baseline, week 12 and week 24.
At the end of the WL study, the IQP-PV-101 group lost a mean of 2.91 ± 2.63 kg in body weight compared with 0.92 ± 2.00 kg in the placebo group (P < 0.001). During the WM phase, 36 out of 49 subjects (73.5%) were able to maintain their weight, even without dietary restrictions.
No serious or related adverse events were reported over the combined period of 36 weeks.
In conclusion, Results indicate that IQP-PV-101 is safe and effective for weight loss and maintenance.
