Glucomannan is a soluble highly viscous fiber-rich in perennial plant konjac (commonly known as konjac), also known as konjac cellulose, konjac powder, and konjac gum. It has been eaten by humans for hundreds of years and has high molecule, non-caloric properties, considered an ingredient to promote weight loss.
What are glucomannan benefits and side effects?
Table of Contents
- What is glucomannan?
- What are the benefits of glucomannan?
- Are there any side effects of glucomannan (konjac)?
- Safety Precautions
- How to eat glucomannan? What is the dosage?
- Where to buy the most recommended glucomannan supplements?
What is glucomannan?
Glucomannan is a water-soluble polysaccharide extracted from the roots and tubers of konjac (formed by mannose and glucose) and is the most important nutrient in konjac because it is a soluble dietary fiber
Because glucomannan has good biocompatibility and biodegradability, it has been widely used in food, drug carriers, tissue scaffolds, adsorption materials, and other fields.
As a nutritional supplement, it has multiple biological activities, including cholesterol-lowering, anti-diabetes, anti-obesity, laxatives, prebiotics, and anti-inflammatory, and has multiple potential health benefits.
What are the benefits of glucomannan?
1. Glucomannan helps lose weight
Obesity is now considered a major epidemic in the 21st century. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines people with a BMI of 30 or above as obese, and a BMI between 25 and 30 as overweight.
According to statistics, 45% of diabetes, 23% of ischemic heart disease, and 41% of cancer can be attributed to overweight and obesity and is the fifth largest risk factor for death in the world. At least 2.8 million adults die from overweight or obesity every year Related events.
A systematic review (including 6 randomized controlled trials) pointed out that for adults who are overweight or obese, but otherwise healthy, oral administration of glucomannan in the short term helps to reduce weight (bodyweight), but cannot lower the body mass index (BMI), and the study of children cannot draw any conclusions due to limited data.
*Conclusion: For adults who are overweight or obese, but otherwise healthy, oral administration of glucomannan in the short term can bring positive help for weight loss, but limited by the small sample size and short duration, more long-term trials are still needed Confirm its clinical benefit.
2. Glucomannan is beneficial for children with functional constipation
Functional constipation describes constipation without organic causes, and the definition of constipation varies, including infrequent defecation, difficulty, pain, or incompleteness.
Children’s constipation occurs between 2 and 4 years old. When toilet training begins, 95% of them are functional constipation, and the remaining 5% are organic causes. The causes include congenital megacolon disease, anorectal deformity, neuromuscular disease, Metabolic disorders range from endocrine disorders.
A systematic literature review and meta-analysis (including 3 randomized controlled trials, a total of 122 children with functional constipation) pointed out that glucomannan can increase the frequency of defecation, however, the stool concentration and treatment success rate are not significantly different.
*Conclusion: Supplementation of glucomannan may have a positive effect on improving functional constipation in children, but it is limited by the small sample size and a large number of biological, methodological, and statistical heterogeneity, and more well-designed large-scale trials are still needed to support it.
3. Glucose mannan is beneficial for constipation during pregnancy
It is estimated that about 11% to 38% of pregnant women experience constipation, which is usually described as infrequent or difficult to pass.
The occurrence factors are mainly related to the changes in hormones and the pressure on the intestine caused by the expansion of the uterus, which leads to the reduction of intestinal movement.
In addition, decreased maternal physical labor and increased vitamin supplements (such as iron and calcium) are also one of the factors that cause constipation. If the situation becomes worse, it may lead to complications such as stool accumulation, megacolon, ulcers, general weakness, and hemorrhoids.
A controlled study (1 month for 64 pregnant women with constipation during pregnancy) divided into two groups, and the intervention group was given glucomannan treatment (4 grams of glucose mannan powder daily, taken twice in the morning and evening), The control group was given magnesium hydroxide treatment.
It was found that both groups helped to increase the frequency of bowel movements and stool consistency, but the effect of glucose mannan was more significant.
*Conclusion: For constipation during pregnancy, the use of glucose mannan can bring positive help.
4. Glucomannan regulates cholesterol
Hypercholesterolemia is one of the main risk factors for the formation of atherosclerotic plaques (mainly refers to the increase in the concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol).
These plaques increase the likelihood of various negative clinical outcomes. Common ones are coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, aneurysm, and stroke.
There are several factors that can lead to increased levels of LDL cholesterol, including genes, diet, stress, sedentary lifestyles, medications, and other diseases such as nephrotic syndrome and hypothyroidism.
A systematic literature review and meta-analysis (including 12 randomized controlled trials with a total of 370 participants) pointed out that ingestion of glucomannan (daily dose between 2 g and 15 g, course of treatment 3 to 12 weeks) It can reduce LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol by 10% and 7%, respectively.
In addition, data from 6 of these studies showed no significant effect on apolipoprotein B.
*Conclusion: Oral glucomannan has a positive effect on improving cholesterol, but more long-term large-scale trials are needed to prove it.
5. Glucomannan is beneficial for functional gastrointestinal diseases
Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder is a common diagnosis of chronic abdominal pain in children and adolescents. According to epidemiological data, the prevalence of children and adolescents is between 10% and 21%.
Pathogenesis may involve a variety of physiological disorders: hyperactivity, hypersensitivity of the viscera, changes in mucosal immune function, changes in the intestinal flora, defects in the mechanism of central pain regulation, psychosocial and environmental stress.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial (for 4 weeks, targeting 89 children with the pain-related functional gastrointestinal disease) pointed out that glucomannan intake is the main therapeutic indicator: No pain and successful treatment No obvious help.
In addition, there were no significant differences in secondary indicators, such as abdominal cramps, bloating, nausea or vomiting episodes, or changes in stool hardness.
*Conclusion: For children patients with pain-related functional gastrointestinal diseases, the use of glucomannan is not helpful for the improvement of the condition, but it is limited by the small sample size and the process is too short. More research is still needed to confirm its clinical benefit.
Are there any side effects of glucomannan (konjac)?
As a role of food, and under moderate intake, glucomannan is generally considered safe and highly tolerated
However, possible side effects or adverse reactions that have been reported include: bloating, loose stools, or diarrhea
Safety Precautions
1. Eating solid tablets containing glucomannan may cause blockage of the esophagus or gastrointestinal tract. To reduce the occurrence of such conditions, please use water.
2. If the structure of the esophagus or intestine is abnormal (stenosis), please avoid it. It may cause difficulty swallowing, obstruction of the esophagus or stomach, and may even cause suffocation.
3. Do not use during pregnancy and breastfeeding, because the related safety is unknown.
4. Because glucose mannan has the potential to lower blood sugar, do not use it together with hypoglycemic drugs or insulin, which may lead to hypoglycemia. The related drugs should not be named: Glimepiride, glyburide, pioglitazone, rosiglitazone, chlorpropamide, glipizide, tolbutamide.
5. Do not use it in combination with other oral drugs, which may affect the absorption of drugs and reduce the efficacy of drugs. In order to prevent such interactions, the two should be separated by at least 3 hours.
6. A weight-loss patient had a rare case of cholestatic hepatitis after using glucomannan, and it is currently unknown whether it is directly related.
7. Some employees of the food factory experienced wheezing, diffuse urticaria, shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing, hoarseness, and other discomforts after inhaling glucose mannan powder.
8. Please avoid using in patients with hypothyroidism, because glucomannan may have the effect of reducing thyroid hormones.
How to eat glucomannan? What is the dosage?
Compared with other fiber supplements, the dosage of glucomannan is lower, because the ratio of water swelling can reach 50 times its weight.
If you haven’t used an embassy product, it is recommended to start with a small dose once a day.
For weight loss, the best time to use ranges from 15 minutes to 1 hour before a meal, about 1 gram at a time (with 250 ml of boiling water). Unless taken before meals, it has no effect on weight loss
*The principle behind is related to the feeling of satiety and the reduction of calorie intake after ingestion.
Where to buy the most recommended glucomannan supplements?
In recent years, food safety problems in various countries have exploded, and it is not healthy but black-hearted products that everyone spends on. Therefore, European and American products with relatively strict quality control have become popular products.
And iHerb.com is a large-scale medical cosmetics e-commerce company in the United States. It has a high satisfaction rate of 97% in the evaluation of Google customers. It provides global home delivery so that you can buy it without risking buying fakes through purchasing high-quality health products.
