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What Are the Benefits of Guar Gum?

Guar gum is a plant-based food additive generally used as a thickener and binder in prepared foods. However, recently, adding guar gum as a dietary supplement has proved to help people with many health conditions. There are several health benefits to taking guar gum.

  1. Cholesterol

    • Guar gum has been shown to help lower serum cholesterol. Too much cholesterol can lead to heart disease and other health problems, so it's important to keep it at a healthy level. If you're trying different ways to lower your cholesterol, adding a guar gum supplement to your diet may help. Guar gum is also a good supplement for those needing to lower their blood pressure.

    Blood Glucose

    • High blood glucose levels, most often experienced with diabetes, are dangerous and can be life-threatening. However, living with the treatments of diabetes can be difficult. Guar gum added to a regimen has been shown to help lower blood glucose levels for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and help alleviate the symptoms that go with having high blood sugar, such as fatigue, shallow breathing and blurred vision.

    Soluble Fiber

    • Guar gum used as a supplement is also a great source of soluble fiber. If you have irritable bowel syndrome or another digestive disorder, it's important to have a good level of soluble fiber in your diet to alleviate symptoms and keep your digestive tract in good, healthy working order. A diet rich in soluble fiber has also been shown to prevent colon cancer and promote overall colon health, even if you do not suffer from a digestive issue.

    Ulcers

    • Guar gum can help alleviate the pain of a gastric ulcer and help it heal. The guar gum blocks acid and lowers acid production, providing a good therapy for ulcer patients. Guar gum is not a cure-all on its own, but paired with the proper diet and medicines, it can ease and speed up the recovery for someone suffering an ulcer.

    Taking Guar Gum

    • Guar gum supplements can be purchased at health food stores and online. The recommended dosage differs depending on why you're choosing to take it. For constipation, approximately 12 g per day is enough, but you can slowly increase by 3 or 4 g per day if needed. For diabetic and cholesterol issues, 15 g per day is recommended. For irritable bowel syndrome, you only need about 5 g per day, but look for partially hydrolized guar gum.

    Some Warnings

    • Guar gum can make you feel fuller and may keep you from eating when you should, and also it can block absorption of some nutrients that you need, so only take the recommended daily amount. In the past, guar gum was used as a weight loss supplement, but it is no longer used for that purpose, except for the very obese, and even then only under a doctor's supervision. Guar gum should not be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women, people who have trouble swallowing and people who are scheduled to have a surgical procedure in the next few weeks. Always speak with your doctor about any new supplements you're taking.

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