Yacon syrup, made from a South American root, reportedly has lots of nutrition benefits.
Dr. Oz analyzed the syrup to see whether the facts added up.
60 female viewers of the show were asked to eat one teaspoon of yacon syrup with or before each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for four weeks, and to not make any other changes to their diets or exercise habits.
40 of the women completed the project.
Of these 40, 29 lost weight of some sort. 14 women lost five pounds or more, and the average weight loss was 2.9 pounds.
Additionally, average reduction in waist size was 1.9 inches, according to Dr. Oz.
27 of the 40 women recommend yacon syrup as a weight loss tool.
Potential benefits of the syrup include fructooligosaccharides (FOS), or sugars found naturally in many plants.
“FOS resist breakdown by enzymes in the human digestive system and reach the colon without being digested,” says Dr. Oz. “This means that yacon syrup is very low in calories (about 20 calories per tablespoon). FOS also acts as a soluble fiber, which increases stool bulk to help prevent and control constipation.”
Yacon syrup tastes sweet and has a consistency similar to molasses, and can be taken pure or as a sugar substitute.
Experts responding to the Dr. Oz experiment, and yacon syrup in general had mixed reactions.
Dr. Neal Barnard said that research was limited but encouraging, and shows that there’s no negative effects, but that there haven’t been many studies.
“The thing we don’t know is whether the weight change that occurred is due to the yacon or due to a placebo effect,” he said. “It is entirely possible that the participants expected to lose weight and were more attentive to their diets overall. So the next step would be to do a placebo-controlled test.”
Dr. Caroline Apovian said that studies so far haven’t been controlled, so it’s hard to determine whether it actually helps people lost weight.
“A study by Genta S et al in 2009 showed that yacon syrup given to patients trying to lose weight showed that a high intake compared to a low intake of Yacon did cause some notable side effects such as severe flatulence which was considered unacceptable – therefore it is hard to discern from this study whether or not Yacon syrup had a weight loss effect over and above a diet and exercise program compared to placebo because so many people dropped out of the study,” she wrote.
“However, I think that more studies should be conducted on Yacon syrup as an alternative to other sugars for patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes to help them with weight loss.”
