Guar Gum Review – Is it Good for Weight Loss?

What is Guar Gum?

When looking into diet pills, sometimes you may have encountered an ingredient known as Guar Gum. This substance has been used popularly as a remedy for gastrointestinal issues, as well as helping with cholesterol levels. Although this plant seed is all natural, that doesn’t mean it is safe.

There are negative health consequences associated to use of Guar Gum. These negative consequences eventually lead to a ban of the substance from the FDA. Some of these negative aspects diet pill companies don’t want you know about, because it may hurt their profit margins. In the following article we will break down exactly what this substance is and does, so you will be more aware of what you are encountering, should you see this in the future.

Who makes it?

Guar Gum comes from the guar plant, which is native to Pakistan and India. There is no one company that manufacturers this substance, but there are many that sell it as a supplement. Some of these companies include NOW Foods, Authentic Foods, Full Spectrum and Source Naturals to name a few. Guar Gum may be purchased either online or from stores that sell nutritional supplements.

How (and) does it work?

Guar Gum is a fiber that is known to expand within the intestines, making the user feel full. It is important to take this substance with water, so as to ensure that it does not expand within the throat. Guar Gum is also believed to help regulate cholesterol levels, as well as possibly help with colon health.

Another interesting fact about Guar Gum is that it is used in hydraulic fracking, because it thickens up the water that is used to get natural gas buried under ground.

Although there are positive claims to colon health, other health experts claim that this fiber actually may damage the colon by obstructing the intestines. Overall there is a split consensus as to the safety of this fiber. Even with this split, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned use of this product in diet pills.

What’s inside of it and are there side effects?

The chemical make up of Guar Gum makes it a polysaccharide. It is made up of mannose and sugar galactose. Because it has eight times the thickening potency as cornstarch,  it can be used as a stabilizer or emulsifier. Guar Gum is more soluble than locust bean gum, and is a better stabilizer as well. It is these properties that have made it popular for use in food products as well as diet pills.

Adverse effects from use of this product may include the following:

Excessive gas, diarrhea and loose stool. When used without enough water this ingredient may act as blockage in the throat and intestines.

What’s good about it?

This substance is known to help regulate cholesterol levels.

What’s bad about it?

While you may find Guar Gum used in diet pills, the fact of the matter is that it really holds no value as a weight loss supplement. In no way does it target any of the key areas of weight loss: metabolism boosting, activating thermogenesis, burn fat or raising energy levels.

The FDA saw to it that this substance was not safe for human consumption, as it may obstruct the throat or intestines, and may lead to health complications. In 1992 a ban on Guar Gum based diet pills went into effect. Being a fiber, if taken in excess this can lead to gastrointestinal distress.

There’s also the fact that Guar Gum may interact with prescription medications that are meant to help with the heart and diabetes. Always consult a physician before using this product if you have these ailments. Guar Gum may also dilute the positive benefits of antioxidants such as lycopene, lutein and beta carotene.

Wrap Up

While commonly used in a variety of food stuffs, there’s a reason that the FDA had this product banned as a diet pill. The health concerns of this substance are simply too much to ignore.

Bottom Line:

There is a common misconception that it is only laboratory made products that are harmful to users. While this may be true in some cases, that doesn’t mean that all natural substances are therefore always healthy; that’s a false correlation. Guar Gum is a prime example of that. From the intestinal blockage it may cause to the adverse reactions it may have with antioxidants as well as other medications, there’s a lot to watch out for. There are safer dietary supplements available that are not known to cause harm to their users.

Guar Gum did see it’s heyday in the past, but there’s a reason it stayed in the past. Nowadays it is used for fracking natural deep in the ground. Just figure that for a second: this supplement is used to frack natural gas out of the ground! Are you sure you want to ingest that?

We recommend looking into safe, more effective dietary supplements.

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