NOW® PHASE 2 is an all-natural bean extract that inhibits alpha-amylase activity, thereby preventing the breakdown of dietary starches into glucose, allowing carbohydrate from starch to pass through the system unchanged. Alpha-amylase is a digestive enzyme that breaks down starch into smaller carbohydrate units that can subsequently be broken down into the simple sugar, glucose. Glucose is absorbed directly into the bloodstream following its uptake by intestinal cells, resulting in a relatively rapid rise in serum glucose levels. Glucose is used by all cells of the body to fuel metabolism. Excess glucose, however, can be converted into fat and stored in adipose tissue.*