How Those with Diabetes Who Overindulge Can Chew Their Way to Improved Health

BOSTON, Aug. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether one has diabetes or not, carbohydrates matter--despite their bad name, the right carbs are necessary for a healthy diet. Note we said the right carbs! For those with Type 2 diabetes, understanding the differences between simple and complex carbohydrates can be a matter of life and death. Consistently eating too many simple carbs at a meal can make blood sugar levels soar, and cause serious complications over time. That's why--for both adults and children with Type 2--striking a balance in the carbs one eats can help keep blood sugar in an acceptable range.

When carbs are eaten, they are converted to glycogen, and either used immediately for energy, or stored in the muscles and liver to be used for energy later. Simple carbs raise blood sugar much faster and higher than complex carbs. Candy, cake and sugar-laden soft drinks fall into this category. Milk and certain fruits are also considered simple carbs, though they contain vitamins, fiber and other important nutrients that the body needs. Complex carbs are digested more slowly than simple carbs, so blood sugars don't rise as high or as fast. Foods like brown rice, whole grains, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta and high-fiber cereals are complex carbs. Some vegetables, including broccoli, corn and legumes (kidney beans, chick peas), are also complex carbs.

While there is no substitute for eating the right kinds of carbohydrates in the right proportion and making sure one regulates one insulin, people at risk of (or currently living with) diabetes may soon have another "tool in their toolbox" called PAZ320, a complex carbohydrate-based investigational therapy that has been shown in a Phase II clinical trial to reduce post-meal glucose elevation.

The company behind PAZ320 is Boston Therapeutics, Inc., based in Manchester, NH, a leading pharmaceutical company working on the development and commercialization of complex carbohydrate compounds. As CEO David Platt explains, "In an ideal world, people would shift their carb intake exclusively or almost exclusively to complex carbs to control their blood sugar levels, not to mention their weight, body mass index and other aspects of healthy living. Being human, the way they eat is far from perfect, so they need help, beyond insulin. We developed PAZ320 to be easily chewed before meals. Carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes are blocked by PAZ320, and as a consequence the amount of glucose released from larger polysaccharides is reduced."

Complex carb chemistry--as it is being harnessed by Boston Therapeutics in PAZ320--could be a key tool for addressing the needs of people at risk of (or currently living with) diabetes. Its continued development might offer new treatments and hope for millions of patients worldwide. 

For more information, visit www.bostonti.com.

Contact:  Laura Radocaj, Dian Griesel Int'l.  212.825.3210

SOURCE Boston Therapeutics, Inc.