Glucomannan Weight Loss

Glucomannan - The Weight Loss Fiber

Glucomannan has recently gained much notoriety in the natural weight loss category most notably after being mentioned on the Dr. Oz show on his Best and Worst for Weight Loss segment in 2010.  His “Best” diet pill being Glucomannan and the “Worst” being Ephedrine.

Part of his reason behind his positive support of Glucomannan was because, "this added fiber will keep you fuller for longer periods of time and less likely to eat mindlessly."

What is Glucomannan

Glucomannan is a Dietary Fiber found naturally in roots of the knojac plant. Glucomannon absorbs water and gently expands as it moves through your digestive tract, thus increasing in bulk helping you feel full faster which is why it has become popular with supporting weight loss plans particularly for portion control.

Glucomannan has been used in Asia for centuries not only for the purpose of weight management but also in traditional foods, such as noodles, tofu and various food products.

What might be the most exciting aspect to this miracle fiber is that several recent studies have validated that doing little more than adding Glucomannan to your current diet have shown significant weight loss versus the control group.

Glucomannan Recent Studies

1) In one study involving 200 obese subjects, Glucomannan or a placebo were given for 16 weeks. They found that Glucomannan & fiber group lost 4.52kg on average compared to 0.79 of control group. The Glucomannan group also had increased satiety compared to control group. ¹

2) A 8 week double blind trial involved 20 obese patients. A placebo or a glucomannan fiber supplement of 1 gram was given to the subjects one hour before each meal. No changes were made to the diet or exercise habits of the patients. The study found that over the 8 week period, cholesterol levels were significantly reduced, and the Glucomannan group had an average weight loss of 5.5lbs. ²

In a world of “magic bullet” gimmicky weight loss products, Glucomannan supplements seem to be standing apart from the crowd as a healthy alternative to most jitter inducing diet pills commonly found in the market.

At it’s worst, you will simply add additional much needed fiber to your diet and at it’s best will help you take control of your portions and thus support your weight loss goals.

1 Salas-Salvadó J, Farrés X, Luque X, Narejos S, Borrell M, Basora J, Anguera A, Torres F, Bulló M, Balanza R (2008). "Effect of two doses of a mixture of soluble fibres on body weight and metabolic variables in overweight or obese patients: a randomised trial.". Br J Nutr.

2 Walsh DE, Yaghoubian V, Behforooz A (1984). "Effect of glucomannan on obese patients: a clinical study". Int J Obes 8 (4): 289–93. PMID 6096282