LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA--(Marketwired - Jul 10, 2014) - Today marks a new era in the battle to help overweight individuals lose weight as the launch of a new form of yacon syrup called Yacon Molasses brings the power of yacon in a convenient daily supplement.
Yacon Molasses is made from yacon - also known as Smallanthus sonchifolius or the Peruvian Ground Apple - a sweet-tasting root plant primarily grown in the northern and central Andes Mountains of South America. For hundreds of years, local tribes have used yacon as a natural sweetener and as a food source. However, in recent times thanks to the attention shined on this plant by numerous doctors and celebrities, it has made its way across the globe, assisting individuals with controlling their eating habits, reducing their blood sugars and with losing weight.
The company makes two claims based on the science behind Yacon Molasses and how it helps individuals to control their eating and to lose weight. First, yacon acts as a natural laxative, encouraging the body to move food along the digestive tract to ensure that an individual's colon is not becoming clogged with waste. Researchers note that the average human can carry anywhere from five to ten pounds in added weight if they are constipated or not processing waste normally, so this alone is one way that yacon can encourage weight loss. Second, yacon is very high in dietary fiber which leads to an individual feeling fuller for longer after eating. When consuming Yacon Molasses regularly, an individual feels less compelled to eat and thus tends to lose additional weight over time. Finally, the company also notes that as yacon is loaded with yogurt-like probiotics, it should help to improve digestive health.
More information about Yacon Molasses and its weight loss benefits can be found here.
As to the clinical viability of Yacon Molasses, there is scientific study data that backs the company's claims. In a 2009 double-blind placebo-controlled study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition (volume 28, issue 2, pages 182-187) entitled "Yacon syrup: Beneficial effects on obesity and insulin resistance in humans", obese women were studied over a period of four months with the goal of determining any body weight loss, or reduction in waist size. The authors concluded that "Daily intake of yacon syrup produced a significant decrease in body weight, waist circumference and body mass index. Additionally, decrease in fasting serum insulin and Homeostasis Model Assessment index was observed." As Yacon Molasses contains a high level of fructooligosaccharides - indigestible fruit sugars - the authors noted that the participants' blood sugar levels also declined over time as the sweetness in the yacon passed through their digestive systems without being absorbed.