Guar Gum

Scientific Name(S): Cyamopsis tetragonolobus (L.) Taub. synonymous with C. psoralioides DC. Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae.

Common Name(S): Guar, guar flour, jaguar gum

Guar Gum is an herbal medicine sometimes used to treat diabetes, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and to decrease cholesterol.

Botany: The guar plant is a small nitrogen-fixing annual that bears pods, each containing a number of seeds. Native to tropical Asia, the plant grows throughout India and Pakistan and has been grown in the southern United States since the beginning of the twentieth century.

History: Guar gum is a dietary fiber obtained from the endosperm of the Indian cluster bean. The endosperm can account for more than 40% of the seed weight and is separated and ground to form commercial guar gum.

Guar gum has been used for centuries as a thickening agent for foods and pharmaceuticals. It continues to find extensive use for these applications and also is used by the paper, textile and oil drilling industries.

Uses of Guar Gum

Guar gum is a food additive shown to reduce serum cholesterol with prolonged use. It appears useful for managing blood glucose. It has been used to promote weight loss.

Side Effects of Guar Gum

Guar gum may cause GI obstruction. It should be used cautiously with diabetics. Flatulence and other forms of GI distress are common during initial use.

Toxicology: In the colon, guar gum is fermented to short-chain fatty acids. Both guar and its resultant by­products do not appear to be absorbed by the gut. The most common adverse effects, therefore, are gastrointestinal, including gastrointestinal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and flatulence. Approximately half of those taking guar experience flatulence; this usually occurs early in treatment and resolves with continued use. Starting with doses of about 3 g three times a day, not to exceed 15 g per day, can minimize gastrointestinal effects.

Guar gum may affect the absorption of concomitantly administered drugs. Bezafibrate, acetaminophen (eg, Tylenol, digoxin (eg, Lanoxin), glipizide (eg, Glucotrol) or glyburide (eg, DiaBeta, Micronase) are generally unaffected by concomitant administration. The ingestion of more than 30 g of guar per day by diabetic patients did not adversely affect mineral balances after 6 months.

Guar gum in a weight-loss product has been implicated in esophageal obstruction in a patient who exceeded the recommended dosage. In a recent review, 18 cases of esophageal obstruction, seven cases of small bowel obstruction, and possibly one death were associated with the use of Cal-Ban 3000, a guar gum-containing diet pill. The water-retaining capacity of the gum permits it to swell to 10- to 20-fold and may lead to luminal obstruction, particularly when an anatomic predisposition exists. Guar always should be taken with large amounts of liquid. Occupational asthma has been observed among those working with guar gum.

Because of its potential to affect glycemic control, guar gum should be used cautiously by diabetic patients.

Guar gum is not teratogenic nor does it significantly affect reproduction in rats.

Summary: Guar gum forms a mucilaginous mass when hydrated. This material has been shown to reduce total serum cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels by approximately 10% to 15% when taken for 3 months. In addition, guar has been found to reduce post-prandial insulin and glucose levels and appears to be a useful adjunct in the management of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Guar is used as a common food additive and is not associated with adverse effects in the low quantities generally used in foods. Severe gastrointestinal obstructions have been reported with the use of some guar-containing dietary supplements.