colonel@ellie.UUCP (Col. G. L. Sicherman) (05/14/86)
A local TV station has been advertising a "Japanese super pill" for
losing weight. The trade name is "Amitol Plus," and the spiel is
typically misleading. It puzzled me when the pitchman stated that
the Japanese have been using it for centuries. But I think I've
got the explanation:
To judge from the claim and from the name, Amitol-Plus is probably
alpha-amylase, or diastase, a powerful starch digestant. If I remember
right, the stuff is used in the manufacture of sake, or rice wine--
hence the claim! I believe it's also sold by Parke, Davis as "Taka-
Diastase."
By the way, I've also heard the word "takadiastase" used generically.
What's the distinction, if any, between "diastase" and "takadiastase?"
I've also heard that it can be extracted from malaria germs! Can
such things be?
(My first encounter with the word "takadiastase" was in Chernev and
Reinfeld's _Fireside Book of Chess!_ A couple of doctors used the
word in a memory test for the American grandmaster H. N. Pillsbury.)
--
Col. G. L. Sicherman
UU: ...{rocksvax|decvax}!sunybcs!colonel
CS: colonel@buffalo-cs
BI: csdsicher@sunyabvalarry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) (05/14/86)
In article <1070@ellie.UUCP>, colonel@ellie.UUCP (Col. G. L. Sicherman) writes: > A local TV station has been advertising a "Japanese super pill" for > losing weight. The trade name is "Amitol Plus," and the spiel is > typically misleading. It puzzled me when the pitchman stated that > the Japanese have been using it for centuries. > > To judge from the claim and from the name, Amitol-Plus is probably > alpha-amylase, or diastase, a powerful starch digestant. If I remember > right, the stuff is used in the manufacture of sake, or rice wine. > I believe it's also sold by Parke, Davis as "Taka-Diastase." > > By the way, I've also heard the word "takadiastase" used generically. > What's the distinction, if any, between "diastase" and "takadiastase?" I guess that taka-diastase can be used generically. It is produced by a type of fungus called Aspergillus oryzae, and is in effect a "yeast" product. Taka-diastaste is not a precisely defined substance; it exhibits a large number of enzymatic effects - in fact, well over 25 DIFFERENT enzymatic functions. Diastase is just an amylolytic enzyme; i.e., it converts say, potato starch into sugars such as dextrin (starch gum) and maltose. Taka-diastase, however, not only exhibits amylolytic function, but also digests fats and proteins. > I've also heard that it can be extracted from malaria germs! Can > such things be? I doubt it. Malaria is caused by a protozoa (Plasmodium vivax). I can't imagine protozoa producing taka-diastase; even if they did, I can't imagine commercial production from protozoa when taka-diastase can be so easily produced from Aspergillus fungus growing on wheat bran or rice. ==> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York ==> UUCP {decvax|dual|rocksanne|rocksvax|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry ==> VOICE 716/688-1231 {rice|shell}!baylor!/ ==> FAX 716/741-9635 {G1, G2, G3 modes} seismo!/ ==> "Have you hugged your cat today?" ihnp4!/