Guar gum and blood sugar, blood pressure and body mass
What it found
In 14 randomised trials in adults, guar gum lowered HbA1c, a long-term blood sugar marker, but made no difference to fasting blood sugar, blood pressure or body mass overall.
In people with type 2 diabetes, and at doses above 15 g a day, fasting blood sugar did fall.
What they found
Studies in people
Long-term blood sugar
Guar gum supplementation led to significant reductions in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) compared with the control group.
Fasting blood sugar
Overall, there was no effect on fasting blood sugar among adults compared with the control group.
Blood pressure
There was no effect on systolic and diastolic blood pressure among adults compared with the control group.
Body mass
There was no effect on body mass among adults compared with the control group.
Type 2 diabetes subgroup
In patients with type 2 diabetes, guar gum significantly decreased fasting blood sugar concentrations.
High dose subgroup
At supplementation dosages above 15 g per day, fasting blood sugar concentrations significantly decreased, but not in other subgroups.
What the authors conclude
“Guar gum supplementation may yield a beneficial effect on glycemic control in T2DM patients.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that guar gum supplementation may yield a beneficial effect on glycemic control in T2DM patients.
- They advise that the extant clinical trials, thus far, are not sufficient enough to form guidelines for clinical practice.
How it was done
The authors wanted to evaluate the effects of guar gum supplementation on glycemic control, blood pressure, and body mass in adults.
They pooled 14 randomized controlled trials in adults, found by searching PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, and Web of Science from inception to January 2022.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The trials were not enough to form guidelines for clinical practice.
- The review cannot show how guar gum affects people without type 2 diabetes or at lower doses.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
- Authors work at
- Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran; University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE
The paper
- Title
- The effects of guar gum supplementation on glycemic control, body mass and blood pressure in adults: A GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials
- Type
- Systematic review and meta-analysisThe authors follow a set, published method to find every relevant study, then combine the numbers from them into one result.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Javad Alaeian M, Pourreza S, Yousefi M, et al (2023). The effects of guar gum supplementation on glycemic control, body mass and blood pressure in adults: A GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Diabetes research and clinical practice. doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2023.110604PubMed 36958432DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error