Nopal is the product of extraction from the pulp contained in the stems of a Mexican cactus also knows as prickly pear, while Phaseolus vulgaris L. is a particular species of bean native to South America, more precisely Peru and Colombia. It is currently widespread mainly in Asia, but is also produced in Europe.

Function

Both of these products appear to be able to reduce or perhaps just slow down the digestion of carbohydrates. Either way, it may be useful in the context of a low-carb diet. Indeed, should the product actually be able to hinder the digestion of carbohydrates, the glycaemic load of the meal would be reduced, as would the calorie and carbohydrate load of the diet. Even if, however, the action of nopal and Phaseolus were limited to merely slowing down the process of carbohydrate digestion, the glycaemic index of the food consumed with the supplement would be reduced, with positive repercussions on glycaemic control and, consequently, on insulinemia. It should be specified, however, that nopal is a relatively little-studied supplement.

Negative notes

Regardless of whether the substances taken reduce or simply slow down the digestion of carbohydrates, the carbohydrates taken with the supplement will remain in the digestive tract for a relatively long time and may damage it. In the long term, therefore, taking nopal and/or Phaseolus vulgaris L. could cause problems with the physiological functioning of the digestive tract. Therefore, it is a good idea to limit intake to that period of the dietary cycle devoted to weight loss or, better still, only to a part of it.

Form and posology

Both nopal and Phaseolus vulgaris L. supplements are available on the market in the form of tablets and as drinking products. There are no dosage instructions for nopal provided by independent research institutes, so it is recommended to refer to the instructions on the product label. As for Phaseolus vulgaris L, in Udani’s study (2004), a dosage of 6g/day was used, of which 3 grams was taken with lunch and the other half with dinner. It is clear that this product should be taken in conjunction with high-carbohydrate meals.