Glucomannan: Balancing Blood Sugar with Glucomannan
Glucomannan may be useful as a therapeutic adjunct for Type 2 diabetes.
It has been shown to improve the lipid profile and alleviate the fasting
blood glucose levels of Type 2 diabetics. A randomized double-blind
crossover clinical trial was conducted to determine the use of glucomannan
as an additive with the usual medication for the treatment of Type 2
diabetes and hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol level). Twenty two hyperlipidemic diabetic patients were selected. The observation shows marked
reduction in the fasting blood glucose level along with all the levels of
lipid profile. The conclusion was glucomannan might be used as an adjunct
for the management of diabetic hyperlipidemic subjects.
Another study showed ‘Glucomannan minimizes the postprandial insulin surge: a potential adjuvant for hepatothermic therapy’ [2]. That means, glucomannan can lower both the fasting as well as level of blood glucose after taking meal.
Obese people are prone to diabetes. A study revealed that glucomannan could
lower our body weight too. Glucomannan (GM) is differentiated from other
soluble fibers by the extraordinarily high viscosity of GM solutions.
Administration of 4-5g of GM with meals, blended into fluid or mixed with food,
can slow carbohydrate absorption and dampen the postprandial insulin response by
up to 50%. Controlled clinical studies document that GM can promote satiety and
weight loss, lower LDL cholesterol, improve
diabetic control, and correct
constipation, with minimal if any side effects. Rodent studies suggest that GM
may have potential for decreasing cancer risk and possibly even slowing the
ageing process. Hepatothermic therapy, a technique for achieving rapid loss of
body fat by optimizing the liver's capacity for fat oxidation, can only achieve
its optimal efficacy if diurnal insulin levels are kept low; ingestion of GM
with meals will evidently be of benefit in this regard by moderating
postprandial insulin surges’ [3].
Another research states that ‘beneficial effects of viscous dietary fiber from Konjac-mannan in subjects with the insulin resistance syndrome: results of a controlled metabolic trial.
Conclusion
Therefore, it is obvious that glucomannan is beneficial as a treatment adjunct to regular diabetic medication.
References
(PMID 12569112)
McCarty MF, Pantox Laboratories, San Diego, California 92109, USA.
PMID: 12323114 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
