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Sugarest Sweet Tooth Suppressant


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I just saw a report on a product that claims to completely suppress one's ability to taste the sweetness of a variety of foods. The company, Genotec, is advertising it as a sort of "instant willpower" in a tablet. Basically, you place this product in your mouth and let it slowly dissolve and for about an hour or so it removes your tastebuds' ability to detect sweetness thereby giving people who have major sugar cravings help in resisting sweets. This goes for any food/beverage containing sugar such as cakes, pies, candy, alcohol, sodas, etc.

My knee jerk reaction was "Hell no, that's ridiculous!" But then I remembered that there are people with diabetes who definitely have major sugar cravings--perhaps addictions--which if satisfied can have serious health consequences. My mother, for instance, was a diabetic and had serious cravings for sweets and starches. Ultimately she died of strokes related to her diabetic condition, although she also suffered from high blood pressure which of course played a part in her demise as well.

The other thing to note about this product is that it works. In the report they showed two separate groups of people first taking the product and then trying to enjoy a variety of sweets. The expression on their faces said it all: there was absolutely no enjoyment whatsoever, therefore no payoff, and all of them said that the product definitely achieved its goal.

The "secret ingredient" in this product is Gymnema Sylvestre. Here is the company's description of this herb:

The secret to Sugarest™'s success is an exclusive formula including the rare Indian herb gymnema sylvestre.  For centuries this herb has been used as a safe and effective sugar blocker.

More information can be found on the company's website. Sugarest Website

So back to my original question, would you? Whether yay or nay, I'd be interested in knowing your reasons/rationale. I'm sure that one reason for not using this product is that it doesn't teach one anything about developing one's own willpower, but really for those who have life threatening illnesses like diabetes would the use of this be any different than an alcoholic using antibuse, at least for a while, to get them over the hump, so to say?

Regarding the safety of the product, comments from a doctor on the program equivocated so much as to render what he had to say as useless in my opinion. Asked the same question, the company of course says it's perfectly safe and "natural."

Edited for additional comments/clarification.

Edited by divalasvegas (log)

Inside me there is a thin woman screaming to get out, but I can usually keep the Bitch quiet: with CHOCOLATE!!!

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Kinda like a prolonged use nicotine patch type idea for sugarholics?

Hmm.

I'm a sugarholic for sure but the possible side effect bells are ringing, lights are flashing. But still yet I don't know what more the pill could do than going for a cup of green tea would do and I gain good juju with the green tea.

I mean I haven't been chosing the green tea lately and my scale is screaming at me too. There's so many things that aren't even sweet that mess you up. I don't think I'd try it. If I have that much control to go for a pill instead of satisfying a craving, then I wouldn't need the pill y'know?

Unless it comes in chocolate? :raz:

Edited by K8memphis (log)
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Kinda like a prolonged use nicotine patch type idea for sugarholics?

Hmm.

I'm a sugarholic for sure but the possible side effect bells are ringing, lights are flashing. But still yet I don't know what more the pill could do than going for a cup of green tea would do and I gain good juju with the green tea.

I mean I haven't been chosing the green tea lately and my scale is screaming at me too. There's so many things that aren't even sweet that mess you up. I don't think I'd try it. If I have that much control to go for a pill instead of satisfying a craving, then I wouldn't need the pill y'know?

Unless it comes in chocolate?  :raz:

Funny you should mention having the willpower to take the pill itself since that very same thing was mentioned during the show.

As for me, when it comes to food, I'm a "Everthing-A-Holic" :biggrin: since I pretty much like everything, so no magic pill for me although their website does tout using another of their products in conjuction with the Sugarest containing Hoodia Gordoni which comes from a South African plant and is purported to be a natural appetite suppresant. I can't remember where, but I seem to recall hearing about some health concerns regarding Hoodia.

Edited by divalasvegas (log)

Inside me there is a thin woman screaming to get out, but I can usually keep the Bitch quiet: with CHOCOLATE!!!

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You are so right, Divala, there just ain't no more magic pills. Jack got that one batch, even he was skeptical, tossed 'em did the beanstalk thing and that's the last for sure recording of magic beans/pills.

Green tea will do all of that with benefits unless I just don't want green tea.

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Thanks for the tip about green tea K8Memphis. I had heard about the antioxidant benefits of green tea, but nothing about weight control. At least that's something I like and wouldn't have to develop a taste for.

Inside me there is a thin woman screaming to get out, but I can usually keep the Bitch quiet: with CHOCOLATE!!!

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"They" say that 3 cups a day will result in a bit of weight loss over a period of time. But maybe not with ice cream chasers. But it really is a great appetite suppressant if one's head is into it. I should get a pot going huh?

If I get a pot all lemoned & splenda-ed I can just microzap a cup whenever I want it all day. Tea connoisseurs may be shuddering but it works for me. Hey I keep the pot in the tea cozy at least. :biggrin:

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My own recent experience, based on following The Fat Smash Diet by Dr. Ian Smith protocol was to follow the 10 day 'detox' in which I eliminated my craving for bread and substitution of fruits for sugary sweets. Within the 10 day period I was able to get rid of my cravings for sugary sweets, replacing them with fruits as needed and losing my appetite for chocolate and desserts. Sugar free Lifesavers and CVS's brand of sugar free hard candies also are very beneficial.

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My own recent experience, based on following The Fat Smash Diet by Dr. Ian Smith protocol was to follow the 10 day 'detox' in which I eliminated my craving for bread and substitution of fruits for sugary sweets.  Within the 10 day period I was able to get rid of my cravings for sugary sweets, replacing them with fruits as needed and losing my appetite for chocolate and desserts.  Sugar free Lifesavers and CVS's brand of sugar free hard candies also are very beneficial.

Congratulations Jay on your success in overcoming your sugar/carb cravings. I've heard about the Fat Smash Diet, but admit to knowing very little about it. There really is no substitute for being strongly motivated from within to accomplish something, anything really. Even though I think there's a place for the Sugarest product, eventually a person will have to change their way of eating to something that they can live with for the rest of their lives.

Inside me there is a thin woman screaming to get out, but I can usually keep the Bitch quiet: with CHOCOLATE!!!

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No, I wouldn't try it, and I wouldn't suggest it to my husband and 10 year old, who both have diabetes. They don't get sugar cravings per se, and if they do want something sweet, they can always have foods & beverages prepared with sugar substitutes, of which there are many.

What most people who do not have diabetes perceive as a "sugar craving" is in reality a carb craving or a fat craving, neither of which the "sweet tooth suppressant" addresses. Very few people could satisfy their craving by eating a spoonful of sugar, for instance. What they want are the carbohydrates or the mouthfeel of the fat, which is why chocolate is so much more satisfying than a spoonful of cocoa powder. :hmmm:

Gymnema sylvestre is used in Indian medicine as a drug for diabetes and may help control blood sugar, but more scientific studies and standardization of doses need to be done. See MedLine reference.

Edited to add: *When people with diabetes have a a low blood sugar reaction due to too much insulin (or too little food for the amount of insulin that's in their system), they need to take a fast-acting simple sugar like glucose tablets, pure table sugar, or orange juice, or sugary soda. During hypoglycemic episodes, the body sometimes continues to crave sweets and carbohydrates until the blood sugar rises to a normal level and the "shaky feeling" goes away.

Edited by SuzySushi (log)

SuzySushi

"She sells shiso by the seashore."

My eGullet Foodblog: A Tropical Christmas in the Suburbs

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I just tried this herb and it does exactly that, it really does shut down the tastebuds that detect sweetness. Amazing. (Gee, I hope it isn't permanent!). I was out at my mother's house which is about an hour's drive from my home. At The Vitamin Shoppe near her home I purchased the store brand of Gymnema Sylvestre, each capsule containing 250 mg of the leaf in powder form. I had eaten shortly before and was developing that craving for something sweet. I opened up one gel cap and sprinkled the powdered leaf on my tongue. It tasted like alfafa or numerous other dried grassy herbs. The immediate effect was to neutralize my sweet tooth craving. However, as I was making my drive back to Houston, I started thinking about oranges and chocolate brownies, so at some blood sugar level it wasn't working. I remembered the person who had said the effect lasts 15 minutes so maybe 15 minutes after the first dose on I poured the ingredients of another pill onto my tongue and thought nothing more of the experiment.

That is until I got home. We are about an hour now from when I took the first one. It turns out that I was making marshmallows to take to a friend tonight. Well, I popped one in my mouth and surprise, what a surprise, literally, I could not sense any sweetness. When I first bit into the marshmallow I thought, hmmm, that is very salty, did I mix up the sugar and the salt? And then, I remembered.

At this point in time, I can't guess how long the effect will last. But I will update as time goes on. No need for a double blind test in this case, the effect is so profound.

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Thanks for your first person report on the product Jay. I didn't know that it also came in capsule form. The product I saw was a tablet that you were supposed to place in your mouth and let it slowly dissolve. According to their website and the report I saw today, the effects are supposed to last for about 30 minutes. The main point the report was emphasizing was that it removed the immediate payoff from eating something sweet--like your "marshmallow report"--and remove any deliciousness associated with eating or drinking a particular type of sweet. I don't remember them saying anything about the product stopping a craving per se, but it's good to know that it may help some people stop the cravings in the first place. I look forward to hearing your updates.

I respectfully must disagree Suzy about people not craving sugar. I understand that you have two diabetics in your life now, but I wonder if diabetics, like alcoholics, are all a little different from one another. For instance, my mother could not stand and could ALWAYS detect artificial sweetners no matter how many times I tried to sneak them on her so they would have never satisfied any craving she had. I know many other people who can also detect the flavor of artificial sweetners and not in a pleasant way. Personally, I can tell when I'm ingesting an artificial sweetner as opposed to sugar, although I don't really have a problem with the taste.

Also, as I am sure you are well aware, a diabetic's blood sugar can suddenly take a steep dive. When this happened to my mother she could become clammy and disoriented and the only immediate doctor approved solution was orange juice mixed with WHITE SUGAR and she's not the only diabetic I know that did/does this. I've known many to carry hard candies, jelly beans, etc. which are almost 100 percent sugar. For those who don't know, if a diabetic skips a meal or waits too long between meals their blood sugar can drop quite precipitously. A former co-worker had two very scary episodes of this: one where she awoke behind the steering wheel of her car in the middle of traffic with people banging on her windows. In another instance this same person was found passed out in front of a bank of elevators. In both cases she was made to understand that a) she needed to eat better and more often and, b) in case of these instances she had to have sugar-laden, not artificial sweetner-laden, candies with her at all times. Afterall sugar is also a carbohydrate albeit a simple carb. As for me, my blood sugar is rather the opposite to that of my mom's where it can drop and leave me feeling jittery, nauseous, and lightheaded, and the only thing that can immediately relieve those symptoms is sugar. Of course, in the long run I know I have to develop and stick with an eating plan that keeps these episodes to a minimum.

Suzy I'm not saying that either of us is absolutely right or wrong, just that we've had different experiences in dealing with sugar and blood sugar issues. I really hope that this product works for people who are just incapable for whatever reason of resisting sugar-laden foods which may be deleterious to their health.

Inside me there is a thin woman screaming to get out, but I can usually keep the Bitch quiet: with CHOCOLATE!!!

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I have never had a particular taste or craving for sweets. My downfall is the savory stuff.

Also, I am allergic to chocolate and alcohol.

I do have diabetes, type II, well controlled with the minimum dose of Avandia and diet.

I have had a few episodes of low blood sugar but I carry the measured dose glucose tablets with me.

I also carry my meter with me and if I begin to feel shaky and perhaps a little light-headed, I stop whatever I am doing and test.

There are some foods that will push my blood sugar up a bit, about 30 minutes after a meal, then it will drop below normal after another 30 minutes to an hour. I now recognize that there are some foods that have this effect and keep my intake to a minimum.

I don't see any point to this product, unless someone has and out-of-control craving but if this stuff is taken at will, instead of in a prophylactic (preventive) dose, I doubt it would be all that effective as the craving will just pop up again when the effect wears off.

I can see it might be helpful if one wanted to use it during a period when one would be exposed to the forbidden foods - such as a party or similar event.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Well, the only real pay-off is that you won't be able to taste any sweetness. Unfortunately, if you still consume the marshmallow, your little body is still getting the hit of sugar.

I agree that carb craving is a real culprit. and would recommend to anyone interested in losing weight that they go cold turkey on flour products, white rice (brown rice is allowed), and white potatoes for just 10 days. It isn't easy but it is very rewarding at the end of the time period. If you are like me you will be able to sit at a dinner table and 'pass' on the bread. I find that what I do now is save my bread eating for when something is really worth it, for example, well prepared naan or crunchy sourdough. And I pass up the rest of the stuff. The hard part is, most of the really convenient foods are in sandwich form, making it a little trickier to eat out at lunch time. Fortunately, at my new job, my best new friends are from India, several are vegetarian, and we can usually find really cool combinations of foods that don't include bread or rice. I just double up on the vegetables and skip the rice and have a taste or two of freshly made naan. Also, I have found that microwaved or baked pappadums (lentils based) are a good snack food when I want something crunchy.

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