Gum Arabic, body mass index and body fat in women
What it found
In 120 healthy adult women, taking 30 grams of Gum Arabic daily for six weeks reduced body mass index and body fat percentage.
The placebo group saw a small rise in body fat.
What they found
Studies in people
Body mass index
In the Gum Arabic group, body mass index fell by 0.32 on average, from 27.31 to 26.99. In the placebo group it edged up slightly, from 25.78 to 25.85, which the authors say was not statistically significant.
Body fat percentage
Body fat percentage fell by 2.18% on average in the Gum Arabic group. In the placebo group it rose from 18.31% to 19.13%.
Body weight
Weight in the Gum Arabic group went from 72.25 kg to 71.43 kg, a fall of 1.24%. The placebo group's weight went from 68 kg to 68.19 kg.
Side effects
Side effects from Gum Arabic appeared only in the first week. They included an unpleasant thick feeling in the mouth, nausea early in the morning, mild diarrhea and a bloated abdomen.
Other findings
How it might work
The authors suggest Gum Arabic may bind bile acids and reduce fat digestion and absorption, and that it may increase feelings of fullness. They say the exact way it works is not yet fully known.
What the authors conclude
“Gum Arabic ingestion causes significant reduction in BMI and body fat percentage among healthy adult females.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that "Gum Arabic ingestion causes significant reduction in BMI and body fat percentage among healthy adult females."
- They say the effect "could be exploited in the treatment of obesity."
- They advise that long-term studies with different groups and doses are needed to work out how Gum Arabic reduces obesity.
How it was done
Gum Arabic has been studied a lot in animals but there is little measured data in people. The authors wanted to find out what regular Gum Arabic does to weight, body mass index and body fat percentage in healthy adult women.
They ran a two-arm randomised, placebo controlled, double-blind trial at the University of Khartoum. 120 healthy female students took part, split into a group of 60 taking 30 grams of Gum Arabic a day for six weeks and a group of 60 taking 1 gram of pectin a day as a placebo. Weight, height and skin fold thickness were measured before and after.
What it can’t tell you
- The study lasted only six weeks, so it cannot show what happens over a longer period.
- The placebo group took a much smaller dose (1 gram of pectin) than the Gum Arabic group (30 grams), so the size of the difference between the two groups may be affected by this.
- The study did not measure blood leptin, so it cannot say whether leptin plays a role in the changes seen.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Medical Sciences & Technology, Sudan
The paper
- Title
- Effects of Gum Arabic ingestion on body mass index and body fat percentage in healthy adult females: two-arm randomized, placebo controlled, double-blind trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Babiker R, Merghani TH, Elmusharaf K, Badi RM, Lang F, Saeed AM (2012). Effects of Gum Arabic ingestion on body mass index and body fat percentage in healthy adult females: two-arm randomized, placebo controlled, double-blind trial. Nutrition journal. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-11-111Free full textPubMed 23241359DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error