HOUSTON – A Baylor College of Medicine researcher is on the cusp of a breakthrough discovery to speed up our metabolism. Now some companies are latching onto his early findings to sell you over the counter metabolism boosters.
The company who makes Pruvin said they based their product off research from a doctor at Baylor College of Medicine, and one Houston man says it helped him lose inches off his waistline.
Karl Woyton is in his 50s and when he started gaining weight with age, he turned to the latest over the counter supplement that claims to take it off.
"I saw that it's just a simple powder," Woyton explained. "It's actually worked out really good. For the last two months, I've been taking it and lost a little over 12 pounds."
The powder allegedly works by replenishing two amino acids that become depleted with age. The idea comes from what Dr. Rajagopal Shekhar is discovering through his research, although he has no affiliation with Pruvin and does not endorse the product.
"One of these amino acids gets made in the gut, so its availability is limited. So what we've found through my research, two of these amino acids are deficient in humans so the body can't make much," Shekhar said.
That's especially true in senior citizens, which could be the cause of weight gain later in life.
Shekhar is in the beginning stages of his research and in theory could one day use the discovery of these protein patterns to reverse the side effects of aging and diabetes as it pertains to metabolism.
"That is something we are looking at as well," he said. "The effects of diabetes would be abnormalities in energy metabolism and whether that could happen is something that has eluded discovery."
For the people who are eager to get their hands on supplements to try and get the weight loss results of these potential discoveries, they'll buy into things like Pruvin.
Woyton said he's made no change to his daily workouts and diet but is noticeably leaner after using Pruvin.
The first month's supply of Pruvin costs about $100.
