Slimming aid loved by stars like Holly Hagan and labelled ‘gastric band in a glass’ has been praised for this one ingredient
IT HAS been dubbed the “secret slimming weapon” that keeps reality stars in shape – but does it really work, and is it safe?
Skinny Sprinkles has been promoted by the likes of Geordie Shore star Holly Hagan, who claimed it helped her drop four dress sizes taking her from a size 16 to an eight.
The weight loss drink has also been praised by co-stars Chloe Ferry and Sophie Kasaei, who claim it has helped them lose two and three stone respectively.
Each of the Skinny Sprinkles sachets contains just nine calories, and claims to work by mimicking the actions of a gastric band.
It also contains the active ingredient glucomannan, a natural sugar that expands in the stomach giving the feeling of being full.
But The Sun's nutritionist, Amanda Ursell, warned fad diets like Skinny Sprinkles could leave you irritable, hungry and lacking essential nutrients.
She said: "They [fad diets] often have short-term effects.
"So if you are going to a wedding in a weeks’ time and you want to get into a dress that’s a bit tight then if you’re not eating much, or however you dress it up, then you will find it easier to get into the dress and, for that time, it's OK.
"But the problem is these diets become part of a persistent pattern.
"If you look at where women are in the UK in terms of their nutritional status, quite a lot of them aren’t getting enough iron and some who are consistently yo-yo dieting may find they have a lack of vitamin B12.
"A lack of these can leave you feeling low in energy, out of sorts and more stressed.
"Starving your self is just going to exacerbate any underlying nutritional problems."
Depriving your body of the right vitamins, minerals and nutrients can lead to deficiencies that can prove dangerous for your health.
They include an iron deficiency, which can leave you tired all the time, a vitamin B deficiency, which affects your nervous system and energy levels and an iodine deficiency, which can affect your metabolic rate, to name a few.
But it is not just the short term effects of hunger due to lack of calories that you need to be worried about.
There is very little knowledge about how a fad diet can effect your health in the long run, with some experts warning it could even cause excess toxins to build up in your body.
Amanda explained that once you stop following a fad diet, as they are designed to help you lose weight fast but are not sustainable, you're likely to pile on the pounds.
What is glucomannan?
Glucomannan is a sugar that comes from the Japanese konjac plant that is an active ingredient in slimming drink Skinny Sprinkles.
The ingredient is said to expand in the stomach, to give the feeling of being full, so that people aren't tempted to eat and put on weight.
According to the Journal of Obesity, glucomannan is one of the most viscous dietary fibres, thanks to being able to absorb up to 50 times its weight in water.
It also reduces the absorption of carbs and cholesterol into the body, and doesn't leave you feeling gassy or bloated.
As well as helping with weight-loss, the sugar can also be used to treat constipation as well as help control type 2 diabetes.
There are a few reported side effects for glucomannan, including stomach pains, bloating, diarrhoea and flatulence but mainly for high doses of the ingredient.
She said: "The problem with rebound pounds is we don’t know what effect that is having on our body.
"We store toxins in our fat cells, so if we have too much of something in our body and we can’t get rid of it may be put into fat cells to keep it out of harm's way.
"There has been some work done that shows that every time we diet that stuff gets splurged back into our bloodstream, like dioxins.
"Do we really want to be constantly exposing our body to those things?"
But registered nutritionist Fiona Hunter, from mail order supplement company Healthspan, sung the praises of glucomannan in Skinny Sprinkles.
She told the : "There are studies which show that glucomannan can help people managed their hunger and help with weight loss.
“However, it’s important to remember it's not magic and works only as part of a calorie controlled diet.
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“But for those people who struggle with reaching for the biscuit jar, it could help.”
It has been labelled as a “safe” supplement to aid weight loss, and a British Journal of Nutrition study found participants lost up to 10lbs in 16 weeks compared with 1.7lbs for those taking a placebo.
According to the Journal of Obesity, glucomannan is one of the most viscous dietary fibres, thanks to being able to absorb up to 50 times its weight in water.
The longer term effects of that constant yo-yoing is that you are always in a state of dissatisfaction with yourself and you are measuring your happiness against a number on the scales
Amanda Ursell, Sun nutritionist
About two to four grams a day was found to be well tolerated, with dosages of five grams or more being more likely to have side effects.
So could Holly Hagan have shed all that weight simply by drinking Skinny Sprinkles?
It's "highly unlikely" Amanda cautioned.
Why we need to eat a balanced diet
Eating a balanced diet is an essential part of maintaining a healthy weight, which is an important part of overall health.
The more unbalanced our diet is the more likely we are to be obese.
In the UK about one in four adults are considered obese as are about one in five kids.
Being obese comes with a range of health risks including:
- type 2 diabetes
- heart disease
- some types of cancer
- stroke
- high blood pressure
- liver and kidney disease
- high cholesterol
- asthma
The best way to treat obesity is a healthy, reduced-calorie diet with regular exercise.
Source: NHS
She said: "Although this powder, made from the root of the konjac plant, swells in your stomach and can help to take the edge off hunger, if you take it and still continue to wolf down a junk-filled diet then it’s not a magical solution and it won’t cause weight to drop - or stay off long term.
"Rather, you need to take advantage of its mild appetite suppressing effects and combine this with stripping out fatty, sugar-laden foods, going very easy on alcohol and switching to three balanced meals a day, plus more exercise.
"Taking konjac has the added advantage of helping to stabilise blood sugar levels and may also help to lower cholesterol."
Instead of turning to a fad diet to shed the pounds, Amanda recommends making long term changes to your diet and lifestyle.
She explained that once you get into the habit of making healthier choices you are more likely to shed the weight and keep it off - without the hunger pangs of calories restriction.
"Our biggest problem is that we go on a fad diet and then we come off of it, but if you can make changes that you know will be forever then you start in a very different place," she said.
"The longer term effects of that constant yo-yo is that you are always in a state of dissatisfaction with yourself and you are measuring your happiness against a number on the scales, which is not a great way of assessing where you are in your life.
The Sun's nutritionist Amanda Ursell gives her verdict on Skinny Sprinkles
GEORDIE Shore star Holly Hagan has praised Skinny Sprinkles for helping her drop four dress sizes – but does the diet work and is it safe?
"It is highly unlikely that Holly Hagan and co shed the pounds simply be having a drink containing glucommanan, better known as konjac.
"Although this powder, made from the root of the konjac plant swells in your stomach and can help to take the edge off hunger, if you take it and still continue to wolf down a junk-filled diet then it’s not a magical solution and it won’t cause weight to drop - or stay off long term.
"Rather, you need to take advantage of its mild appetite suppressing effects and combine this with stripping out fatty, sugar-laden foods, going very easy on alcohol and switching to three balanced meals a day, plus more exercise.
"Taking konjac has the added advantage of helping to stabilise blood sugar levels and may also help to lower cholesterol.”
But she warned there are dangers that come with fad diets.
"They often have short term effects,” she said.
"But the problem is these diets become part of a persistent pattern.
"The problem with rebound pounds is we don’t know what effect that is having on our body.
"We store toxins in our fat cells, so if we have too much of something in our body and we can’t get rid of it may be put into fat cells to keep it out of harm's way.
"There has been some work done that shows that every time we diet that stuff gets splurged back into our bloodstream, like dioxins.”
So what should you do if you want to shed the pounds and keep them off?
Amanda recommends eating three meals a day based on whole grain carbs, eating plenty of fruit and vegetables and foods high in fibre to keep you feeling fuller for longer.
You should also limit your sugar and salt intake.
"Measuring yourself against really unrealistic expectations can be quite damaging emotionally as well.
"Let’s be honest, a size zero isn’t normal, a size 6 isn’t normal.
"It’s lovely if you just happen to be naturally like that but for most women that just isn’t the case."
Amanda recommends eating three meals a day based on whole grain carbs, eating plenty of fruit and vegetables and foods high in fibre to keep you feeling fuller for longer.
You should also limit your sugar and salt intake.
According to the NHS the average man needs to eat 2,500 calories per day while an average woman needs 2,000.
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It also recommends eating a balanced diet every day, with at least five portions of fruit and veg and a third of energy coming from carbs - yep that's green light to enjoy potatoes, bread and pasta.
It is recommended that an adult eats no more than 30 grams of sugar per day.
, which costs £19.99 for 30 sachets, is added to water and drunk before each meal.
As well as glucomannan, it also contains a small dosage of caffeine in the form of guarana, vitamin C and vitamin B3 – and claims these ingredients help tackle fatigue.
We previously shared the nine foods that boost your metabolism and help you burn calories with almost NO effort at all.
We also posted 12 of the most incredible weight loss transformations of all time… and they need to be seen to be believed.