How Gymnema works, the plant that makes you eat less sweets because it inhibits its flavor

Obviously, sugar is not good for us. But it's so good! And like all those who have been drinking too much candy, I can badure you that once you've started, it can be difficult to stop. If only something interrupted this deadly and delicious cycle …

Over the years, one of the ways people have stopped the sugar train is the consumption of gymnema, a woody vine that grows in the tropics of India, Africa and Australia. Its bitter compounds have been used for centuries in traditions such as Ayurveda to control sugar cravings and treat diabetes. There is even evidence of the use of this plant, 2000 years ago, in the treatment of "urine of honey", a poetic and archaic term for diabetes.

How Gymnema works

The most remarkable effect of the Gymnema is that after tasting the leaf, your tongue will not be able, or will be less able, to savor the sweetness of the food. A 2017 article published in the Journal of Oral Biosciences and reviewed by Japanese experts revealed that gymnemic acids can interact with the sweet taste receptors of your tongue, which prevents you from tasting the sweetness. And a 2014 study by Biomed Research International found that gymnemic acids are chemically similar to sugar molecules and can block the activation of taste buds.

Generally, it is a pretty effective mechanism. The human tests reported in an article published in 1999 in the journal Chemical Senses revealed that people's ability to identify sweet taste after washing with gymnemic acid in a test at the same time. blind had been reduced to only 14% of their capacity. natural to identify it.

Gymnastics acids can also adhere to the surface of the intestines, thus preventing the absorption of sugar molecules and reducing the blood sugar level. MedlinePlus reports that gymnema supplements "may affect blood sugar levels", although the available evidence is not solid. For this reason, they warn that diabetics are observing signs of hypoglycemia and must be especially careful to take the herb with insulin.

The gymnema comes in many forms

The plant and its compounds are available without prescription in different forms. The choice you choose will depend on the effects you expect and the importance you attach to bitter flavors.

Tea

One of the traditional ways of taking a gymnema is like a tea. But it's a bitter drink, and it's not the easiest way to consume the herb. You can buy packaged tea bags like these that get reviews as brilliant as "The taste is not as bad as some critics say it". It's cheap and direct, at least.

capsules

Gymnema is available in capsules or tablets at health food stores. Although capsules may have the effect of blocking the intestinal absorption of glucose, they will not have the immediate and soothing effects of tea.

Pills

There is a way to get the benefits of the sweetness of gymnema without having to undergo the taste of tea: with a flavored pill. It is sold commercially as Sweet Defeat, formerly known as Crave Crush. A supply of 60 tablets costs $ 49.99.

Sweet Defeat funded research on pill formulation, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology and conducted by clinical psychologist Eric Stice and his team at the Oregon Research Institute. Stice and her team recruited 67 adults and asked them to choose their favorite treats on a reserve. Everyone ate a portion and then took the pill or placebo. Then they were offered another candy. Those who got the active ingredient were 31% less likely to take a second candy and those who did did say that "the sweetness was reduced".

What to expect from Gymnema

When the announcements of Sweet Defeat began to appear, it was only a matter of time before I pulled the trigger and ordered a refueling. I spoke to Andrea Lawson, a client who left positive comments on the Sweet Defeat Facebook page, and she told me what to expect:

"After taking a pill, anything that tastes sweet is really bad," she says. "It's like eating cereals after you finish brushing your teeth." Lawson says the most difficult part of using Sweet Defeat is, well, use it.

"The most difficult thing is to take a pill to suck when I crave sugar, instead of taking the biscuit that is right in front of me," Lawson said. "It's the real challenge."

The envelopes of Sweet Defeat are in a cheerful blue tone. Each tablet contains one milligram of zinc and two milligrams of gymnema leaf extract, as well as extracts of sorbitol and spirulina.

Like Lawson, the first hurdle for me was to start. I knew I had to try the pills, but I did not want to. I thought maybe I would start my experiment tomorrow, after a good ice cream tonight.

When I finally decided to start my tests, for the sake of scientific rigor, I bought a bag of Reese peanut butter mini-cups and Ben & Jerry products. After two cups of peanut butter, I tried a pill. I knew mint and the kind of medicine, nothing unpleasant. My tongue was strangely dull.

After a few minutes, I unpacked another cup of peanut butter and filled it with fear, biting it.

He knew very well. I sat down and methodically ate more. The ice did not slow down either.

I kept a stock in my bag and tried it a few times over the next few weeks, but I have never managed to gasp enough to stop myself. The experience of taking and the oddly pleasant taste of the pill reminded me that I was trying to be healthier. So I guess to a certain extent it made me more aware.

I do not know if my love for sugar is more powerful than that of others, or it is only a lucky few for whom the acids in gymnastics can actually block cravings. Gymnema seems to work for many people, even if it is not enough to keep me away from the ice department.