There are many people who want to lose weight.
Unfortunately, losing weight is not easy, and it is rare to maintain weight after long-term reduction.
There are many ways to support weight loss, including diets, pills, and lotions that make weight loss easier.
One of them also has glucomannan, a natural fiber that is considered Functional foods help to lose weight effectively.
This article will give a detailed look on the science of glucomannan and its effects.
What is Glucomannan?
Glucomannan is a natural fiber soluble in water extracted from the potato tuber, otherwise known as .
It is available as a dietary supplement, in mixed drinks and is also added to food products, such as pasta and flour. This is also the main ingredient in shirataki noodles.
Glucomannan accounts for 40% of the dry weight of sweet potatoes. This is a kind of potato originating from Southeast Asia. It has been used in herbal and traditional foods such as tofu, noodles, and konjac jellies for a long time.
The extracted fiber will look like this: 
In addition to being a dietary supplement, glucomannan is also used as an emulsifying and thickening food additive with the name E425-ii.
Glucomannan is capable of absorption country extraordinary and one of the most viscous fibers.
It absorbs so much liquid that if you put a glucomannan in a small glass of water, the whole cup of water will turn into gel. These unique characteristics are thought to be effective in doing so weight loss .
Conclude: Glucomannan is a water-soluble fiber extracted from sweet potatoes. Recently it has received attention due to its effectiveness in weight loss.
How does Glucomannan help lose weight?
Glucomannan is a water-soluble fiber.
Like other soluble fiber, it is thought that it can support weight loss through some of the following mechanisms :
- This substance contains content calories very low.
- Glucomannan fills the space in the stomach and creates a feeling of fullness, reducing the amount of food you eat during the next meal.
- It also delays the process of food withdrawal from the stomach, contributing to increased satiety .
- Like other soluble fiber, glucomannan reduces the absorption of protein and fat .
This is also a food for intestinal bacteria. These bacteria will then turn this substance into short chain fatty acids like - This fatty acid has been shown to counteract the increase in fat in some animal studies .
Colonic bacteria also provide a number of other benefits, and studies have shown a link between changes in intestinal bacteria and changes in body weight .
These mechanisms are thought to be similar to the weight loss effects of other soluble fiber products.
However, glucomannan differs from other soluble fiber because it is viscous than Many, therefore, are also more effective.
Conclude: Like other soluble fibers, glucomannan absorbs water in the stomach and contributes to a feeling of fullness. It can also help reduce calories and body weight through a number of other mechanisms.
Is Glucomannan really effective?
Understanding the mechanism is always an interesting topic, but what we want to know is whether it really works for weight loss.
There have been many randomized controlled trials on glucomannan. These types of studies are the "gold standard" of human scientific experiments.
In one of the largest studies, 176 healthy overweight people were randomly assigned to take glucomannan or placebo and combined with a strict diet .
Three different glucomannan supplements have been tested in different doses. Some types are also supplemented with other fiber.
This is the result after 5 weeks: 
As you can see, the weight loss results of people taking glucomannan are superior.
There are several other studies that agree with the conclusion that glucomannan offers modest weight loss effects in overweight and obese people when they take this supplement regularly before meals .
This substance is especially effective when combined with a weight loss diet. The same effect was observed when glucomannan combined with other weight loss methods.
Conclude: When taken before meals, glucomannan can cause weight loss in overweight people, primarily by creating a feeling of fullness and reducing the amount of food intake.
Other health benefits
In addition to the effect of weight loss, glucomannan may also improve some risk factors for heart disease.
According to a systematic review of 14 studies, glucomannan can :
- Reduce total cholesterol to 19 mg / dL (0.5 mmol / L).
- Reduce LDL cholesterol to 16 mg / dL (0.4 mmol / L).
- Reduce triglyceride to 11 mg / dL (0.12 mmol / L).
- Lower blood sugar to 7.4 mg / dL (0.4 mmol / L).
The main mechanism that lowers blood cholesterol levels is because glucomannan reduces the absorption of intestinal cholesterol.
According to these studies, adding glucomannan to the diet may reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
As a water-soluble fiber, glucomannan has also been used to treat constipation successfully .
Conclude: Glucomannan can help improve some important risk factors for heart disease such as total cholesterol, LDL, triglyceride and blood sugar.
Dosage and side effects
Dosage 3 times a day, 1 gram at a time is considered enough to support weight loss .
When exposed to water, glucomannan will expand and can absorb up to 50 times its weight. Therefore, the recommended dosage of glucomannan is lower than that of other dietary fiber.
If not taken before meals, glucomannan will not have a weight loss effect. You should take this product before meals from 15 minutes to 1 hour .
Glucomannan is easily tolerated and is generally safe.
However, if glucomannan expands before it reaches the stomach, it can cause choking or blockage of the throat and esophagus (the tube that transports food from the mouth to the stomach).
To prevent this, you should take glucomannan with 1 to 2 glasses of water or some kind of liquid.
Side effects are very rare, but some people may experience mild symptoms such as flatulence, miasma, soft stool or diarrhea.
Glucomannan may also reduce the absorption of oral medications such as diabetes medicine. This problem can be avoided by taking the drug at least 4 hours after or 1 hour before taking glucomannan.
Should you try glucomannan?
According to the evidence available, glucomannan is an effective weight loss supplement. But like any weight loss method, this substance cannot work if used alone.
Weight loss has long-lasting effects it is a lifestyle change in a healthy way.
Glucomannan can make weight loss easier, but it will not bring any miracle if not combined with other methods.
