Today, there are a number of ways how you can lose weight quickly. From taking commercial weight-loss supplements to following a strict diet regime, you can choose the way that you’d like to go about shedding those extra pounds. When you consider most weight-loss programs or drugs, you’ll see that getting the desired result isn’t always easy and long-term success is rare. In such a situation, you need an effective weight-loss supplement that means business from the word go! Glucomannan is one such natural dietary fiber that can help you lose weight.
What Is Glucomannan?
Glucomannan is derived from the roots of the Japanese elephant yam or the Konjac plant. It comprises 40 percent of the dry weight of elephant yam and has an exceptional ability to absorb water, making it one of the most viscous dietary fibers known to us. Historically, it has also been used in herbal mixtures and traditional foods.
This nutritional, water-soluble dietary fiber is extensively used in the food-processing industry to emulsify and thicken tofu, pasta, and flours, as well as shirataki noodles. However, its main use is now as a high-fiber dietary weight-loss supplement. In addition to being an excellent aid to lose weight, glucomannan offers a host of other health benefits that you need to be aware of.
Health Benefits Of Glucomannan
1. Helps Reduce Weight
Konjac root is low in calorie content but high in fiber. Just like in vegetables, this powerful combination can help you maintain an ideal waistline. Bear in mind that this is only possible with the right diet and plenty of physical activity.
[pullquote]Glucomannan has high viscosity, which makes it stand out as an effective weight-loss agent.[/pullquote]
As a soluble fiber, glucomannan takes up space in your stomach and promotes a feeling of satiety. This means that you feel full quickly, thereby reducing your overall food intake. It also delays emptying of your stomach, resulting in increased satiety. Glucomannan also reduces the absorption of protein and fat. Additionally, glucomannan feeds gut-friendly bacteria in your intestine, which turns it into short-chain fatty acids like butyrate. This protects you against fat gain.
2. Provides Relief From Constipation
Constipation is usually caused by a low-fiber diet, dehydration, and lack of exercise. Glucomannan is widely considered to be a bulk-forming natural laxative. Consequently, its intake promotes the formation of a larger, bulkier stool that easily passes through the colon; you’ll also find it less straining to expel stools. When you consume glucomannan powder, it works as a prebiotic in your system and promotes healthy bowel movements.
3. Helps Lower Blood Sugar Levels
As glucomannan delays your stomach’s natural emptying process, it leads to a more gradual sugar absorption rate. When konjac fiber is taken along with conventional diabetes treatment techniques, it improves blood sugar control, blood lipid profile, and systolic blood pressure in high-risk diabetic patients. It also improves the effectiveness of conventional type-2 diabetes treatment.
If you’re a diabetic, it is vital that you include glucomannan as a part of your diet plan. Consuming it by mouth or as a part of your diet may help you reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.
4. Works As A Natural Prebiotic
While probiotic food is essential for better gut health and overall well-being, prebiotics like glucomannan are what actually feed probiotics. As a nondigestible fiber compound, glucomannan passes through the upper part of your gastrointestinal tract and remains undigested as your body fails to break it down completely. Once this prebiotics reaches your colon, it gets fermented by the gut microflora, thereby creating probiotics.
With an improved intake of prebiotics, your risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, weight gain, inflammation, and autoimmune reactions gets lowered. You also end up having healthier cholesterol levels, better gut health, improved digestion, lower stress response, higher immune function, and a better hormonal balance.
Potential Side Effects Of Using Glucomannan
In effect, glucomannan powder is considered safe when consumed as food. It is also safe for most healthy adults when consumed in medicinal amounts as a capsule or powder. Just like any other soluble fiber, a sudden increase in the amount of glucomannan intake can cause gastrointestinal side effects, including bloating, stomach pain, loose stool, flatulence, and diarrhea.
1. Might Lower Blood Sugar More Than Necessary
We’ve already seen how glucomannan can reduce your blood sugar levels as it delays your stomach’s natural emptying process. However, people with diabetes should be very careful about the consumption amount or the dosage as you could end up lowering your blood sugar level way more than necessary.
2. Could Cause Choking
It is highly advisable that you don’t use glucomannan if you have any blockage in your digestive tract or any structural abnormalities in your gut or esophagus. The best way to take any glucomannan supplements is to have it with plenty of water. This avoids any incidences of choking as the tablets can get lodged in your esophagus and swell.
3. Might Interact With Medicines
As glucomannan is known to slow down your stomach’s emptying process, there is a chance that it can interfere with the action of other medications, such as insulin or diabetes medications. For this reason, it is advisable that you take glucomannan supplements either an hour after you take any medication or 4 hours before you take any medication.
4. Possibly Unsafe For Pregnant Women
If you’re expecting or breastfeeding, it’s best that you avoid glucomannan products altogether as it’s still unclear as to what kind of effect it can have on you. Remember to always keep glucomannan products out of the reach of children.
To sum things up, the primary reason why glucomannan is so popular is its ability to help you shed unwanted weight. However, you need to remember that there is no magical weight-loss solution that gives immediate results with minimum fuss. Following a healthy lifestyle coupled with a balanced diet and regular exercise can certainly help your efforts to lose weight.
Even if you’re not really up to the task of maintaining your waistline, glucomannan can solve your constipation issues, help you detoxify, and aid overall blood sugar management.
