They Are Making Guar Gum Into A Good Thing

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Dr. Peat has always cautioned against gums.

There are studies like this but now the gums are highly profitable and being politicized.
Dietary Guar Gum and Pectin Stimulate Intestinal Microbial Polyamine Synthesis in Rats

That study shows it raises polyamines which in excess are probably carcinogens.


Look at this typical misleading piece in mainstream “health” reporting:
Is Guar Gum Healthy or Unhealthy? The Surprising Truth

Digestive Health
Because guar gum is high in fiber, it may support the health of your digestive system.

One study found that it helped relieve constipation by speeding up movement through the intestinal tract. Guar gum consumption was also associated with improvements in stool texture and bowel movement frequency (4).

Additionally, it may act as a prebiotic by promoting the growth of good bacteria and reducing the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut.

In a 2012 study, 60 participants with constipation who received a supplement containing guar gum experienced a significant decrease in concentrations of harmful bacteria in their digestive tracts (5).

Thanks to its ability to promote digestive health, it may also aid in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

A recent 6-week study followed 68 participants with IBS. It found that guar gum improved IBS symptoms, and in some patients it also reduced bloating while increasing stool frequency (6).

Blood Sugar
Studies show that guar gum may be effective at lowering blood sugar.

This is because it is a type of soluble fiber, which can slow the absorption of sugar and lead to a reduction in blood sugar levels (7).

In one study, people with diabetes were given guar gum four times per day over a six-week period. The study found that guar gum led to a significant decrease in blood sugar and a 20% drop in LDL cholesterol (8).

Another study had similar findings, showing that consuming guar gum significantly improved blood sugar control in 11 participants with type 2 diabetes (9).

Blood Cholesterol
Soluble fibers such as guar gum have been shown to have a cholesterol-lowering effect.

Fiber binds to bile acids in your body, causing them to be excreted and decreasing the amount of bile acids in circulation. This forces the liver to use up cholesterol to produce more bile acids, leading to a decrease in cholesterol levels (10).

One study had 19 obese people with diabetes take a daily supplement containing 15 grams of guar gum. They found that it led to lower levels of total blood cholesterol, as well as lower LDL cholesterol, compared to a placebo (11).

An animal study found similar results, showing that rats fed guar gum had reduced blood cholesterol levels, in addition to increased levels of HDL cholesterol (12).

Weight Maintenance
Some studies have found that guar gum could help with weight loss and appetite control.

In general, fiber moves through the body undigested and may help promote satiety while reducing appetite (13).

In fact, one study showed that eating an additional 14 grams of fiber per day may lead to a 10% decrease in calories consumed (14).

Guar gum, in particular, may be effective at reducing appetite and decreasing calorie intake.

A 2015 review of three studies concluded that guar gum improved satiety and reduced the number of calories consumed from snacking throughout the day (15).

Another study looked at the effects of guar gum on weight loss in women. They found that 15 grams of guar gum per day helped women lose 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg) more than those who took a placebo (16).
 

TeaRex14

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Even without Peat's advice on gums, I would use the deductive reasoning approach to address them. If it's not needed, then in the best case scenario, it isn't harming you. But in all probability it is harming you, cause very little things in life boil down to the best cases. Good find.
 

Tenacity

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Even without Peat's advice on gums, I would use the deductive reasoning approach to address them. If it's not needed, then in the best case scenario, it isn't harming you. But in all probability it is harming you, cause very little things in life boil down to the best cases. Good find.
As much as I agree about your stance on the gums, this reasoning isn't really sound. If something isn't needed, that doesn't mean best case scenario it isn't harming you. Just look at aspirin. That isn't needed, but is beneficial in some circumstances.
 

TeaRex14

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As much as I agree about your stance on the gums, this reasoning isn't really sound. If something isn't needed, that doesn't mean best case scenario it isn't harming you. Just look at aspirin. That isn't needed, but is beneficial in some circumstances.
I was meaning extra food additives, which is where you commonly see guar gum and other gums. I guess I shoulndn't have been so vague. But you could also apply aspirin to that as well, think about how 90% of the aspirin out here is filled with extra ingredients not necessary. Only GeriCare and HealthNatura have good aspirin.
 

Literally

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There was a major article in Nature a few years back showing that emulsifiers in food were quite strongly linked to obesity -- and maybe metabolic disorder? can't recall -- and they proposed a mechanism... the mucous linings are washed away in their presence.

Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome

The PDF is out there, since I found and read it when published. Sorry if I am misconstruing this or it doesn't apply, I am going from memory and did not reread it.
 

bookshelf

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I have a dilemma. I have a supplement that I am being prescribed to take by my naturopath that I truly believe is a good thing to try for a short term b/c of the active ingredients and the way it is stacked. However, the formulation has guar gum in it as a filler (it is listed last so I don't think it's nearly as much as in a serving of ice cream or other processed foods, for instance). I realize it is a relatively small amount for what will likely be a short time but I am not thrilled about ingesting it if I can help it. I also think that stressing about it would be as/more harmful than just giving it a try. To the points mentioned above, there is a lot of information out there saying GG's actually a good thing (which, how do we know is real and not funded by a greedy corporation, I know) that seems to say it's relatively benign unless a huge amount is consumed (which, I suppose could be said about any foods). I also trust RP but sadly, it's hard to find other respected opinions that echo his remarks and elaborate for more context. I don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water and get too wrapped around the axle but I do wonder. Until I can find a reasonable substitute (which I haven't found yet), you think it would cause a lot of harm to take it? I guess I could always try it and if it bothers me, stop.

Honestly, it's hard to find supplements and other "health" foods that don't have it in them. And forget eating anything you can't read the label on (like dinner out - even at a friend's). It could appear healthy by the description or appearance but the cook could have used an ingredient with GG or other undesirables.

What would you do?
 

sunny

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I would see it as a risk/benefit situation. If the amount is likely miniscule, it will be a short term ingestion, your digestion is good, your diet is clean otherwise, and the benefits of the therapy are needed, I would probably start the therapy.
 

bookshelf

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I would see it as a risk/benefit situation. If the amount is likely miniscule, it will be a short term ingestion, your digestion is good, your diet is clean otherwise, and the benefits of the therapy are needed, I would probably start the therapy.
Thank you, Sunny.
 

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