By now I’m sure that everybody has heard about the health benefits of soluble fiber. And for many years, the only real choice was psyllium husk. But there is a new kind of fiber that is becoming very popular…glucomannan.
Glucomannan has several benefits over psyllium husk. The first is that it has been shown to be better tolerated than psyllium. The second is that glucomannan is not grain based, so it has no gluten. Glucomannan is actually derived from the root of the konjac plant.
Glucomannan Benefits
Glucomannan is most commonly used to help alleviate constipation. But it has many other benefits as well. It has been shown to aid in weight loss. This is for obvious reasons, It has bulk and is naturally filling.
It has been shown to help people with type 2 diabetes. When soluble fiber is mixed with water, it forms a gel. This slows the absorption of carbohydrates. It has also been shown to lower cholesterol for the same reasons listed above.
But there is one area that most people are not aware of. Glucomannan is a prebiotic fiber. This means that it acts as a natural food source for the naturally occurring probiotic fiber present in all of our digestive tracts.
This is excellent for preventing a condition known as dysbiosis. Dysbiosis occurs when our healthy probiotic bacteria gets overtaken by other not so friendly organisms such as candida.
While some people will simply take a probiotic supplement, glucomannan is an excellent way to go also. And all of the other health benefits are just a bonus as far as I’m concerned. A combination of probiotics and soluble fiber is a super power combo for natural digestive health.
Glucomannan Side Effects
There are some minor glucomannan side effects that can occur, but they are minor and include gas and abdominal discomfort. But there is one area for concern. Glucomannan, especially in the pill form will expand when mixed with water, so it is very important that you chase it down with a large glass of water.
The reason for this is that there is a possibility the capsule could expand and get lodged in the esophagus. I have never heard of this happening, but it’s better to be safe. But water is essential to proper digestion anyway, so drink up.
Conclusion
I know we’ve all heard about different supplements that don’t live up to the hype, but glucomannan is an exception. Weight loss, regularity, diabetes, cholesterol…Who knows what they’ll find next.
healthyfatguy 