Gum Acacia Supports Satiety in Healthy Adults

by | Oct 5, 2023 | Blood Sugar, Fiber, Weight Control

Written by Chrystal Moulton, Staff Writer. At 240 minutes post consumption of the 40g fiber diet, subjects were less hungry compared to control (P= 0.036).

weight control - health hazardsNumerous studies have demonstrated that consumption of dietary fiber supports reduction in blood glucose and weight management1-3. These benefits can be achieved reliably based on dosage and properties of the selected dietary fibers4,5. Gum Arabic also known as gum Acacia is a non-viscous soluble fiber that is dried and powdered from the sap of Acacia trees in Africa. It is a soluble fiber that is often used as a thickening agent, emulsifier, or stabilizer in the food industry6. Some research however suggests that come Acacia may benefit glucose absorption and postprandial blood glucose response7, satiety8, and weight management7 9. In the current trial, researchers studied the effect of supplementing with 20g and 40g of gum Acacia on satiety in healthy adults10.

This study was designed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial. Healthy adults aged 18-65 with a BMI between 18-29 kg/m2 were included in this trial. 48 participants were recruited: 24 men and 24 women. Researchers prepared 3 treatment meals which subjects were randomized to receive over 3 separate visits. The treatment meals were as follows10:

  • Treatment A (control): one plain bagel, 1 oz of cream cheese, an 8 fl. oz of orange juice
  • Treatment B: one plain bagel, 1 oz of cream cheese, and 8 fl. oz of orange juice with 20 grams of gum Acacia dissolved
  • Treatment C: one plain bagel, 1 oz of cream cheese, and 8 fl. oz of orange juice with 40 grams of gum Acacia dissolved

Participants were required to arrive at the test site after a 12 hour fast at 7:45 AM. Blood glucose testing was conducted shortly after arrival to confirm fasting (reading of <110 MG/ DL). Baseline anthropometrics were also conducted. Following assessment, participants were required to consume the treatment meal within 15 minutes. Afterwards, blood glucose, satiety, gastrointestinal tolerance, and palatability were measured at regular intervals. At 240 minutes post consumption, subjects were given cheese pizza for lunch which they were given 15 minutes to consume. They were told to “eat until comfortably full.” Any remaining pizza was weighed and used to calculate energy intake. Participants were then dismissed with instructions to keep a 24-hour food log. After a one-week lag between treatments, the procedure was repeated until each subject consumed all three of the treatment meals. Participants completed all three treatments in six weeks. Blood glucose tests were conducted at 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 240 minutes. Gastrointestinal tolerability was measured at baseline, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 240 minutes.

Results showed that 15 minutes after consumption of treatment C (40g fiber treatment) compared to control subjects were less hungry (P= 0.019), more satisfied (P= 0.011), and had higher levels of fullness (P= 0.003) compared to control. At 240 minutes post consumption of the 40g fiber diet, subjects were less hungry compared to control (P= 0.036). Participants reported significantly more bloating (P= 0.0009) and flatulence (P= 0.001) following consumption of the 40g gum acacia dose compared to control. Palatability between treatments were not significantly different. No significant difference was found in the change in blood glucose or AUC from baseline to 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 240 minutes among the treatments. There was no significant interaction between treatment and gender. No significant differences were observed in energy intake after the lunch in either of the treatments.

Overall, gum acacia fiber showed statistically significant improvement on satiety at 15-, 30-, and 240-minutes following consumption. Further studies will be needed to verify these findings.

Source: Larson, Riley, Courtney Nelson, Renee Korczak, Holly Willis, Jennifer Erickson, Qi Wang, and Joanne Slavin. “Acacia gum is well tolerated while increasing satiety and lowering peak blood glucose response in healthy human subjects.” Nutrients 13, no. 2 (2021): 618.

© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Posted October 5, 2023.

Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.

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