Acacia Gum health benefit by Ray Sahelian, M.D. (index of healing herbs and vitamins) Health benefit Acacia gum is also known as gum Arabic. Gum Arabic is obtained from the Acacia tree. The Acacia tree grows in a region that stretches from Senegal to Sudan in Africa. This gum is made of hardened sap taken from two species of the acacia tree; Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal. The Senegal gum acacia is an average sized tree with thorns that grows on the African savanna grassland. The fiber is widely used in both the pharmaceutical and food industries as an emulsifier and stabilizer. Acacia gum is composed of saccharides and glycoproteins and is fit to be consumed by humans. Health benefit
Acacia gum may be useful in those with kidney disease, for instance chronic renal failure. Acacia Gum and kidney disease research studies
Acacia gum supplementation of a low-protein diet in children with end-stage renal disease.
Pediatric Nephrology. 2004 Oct.
Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) die in the absence of renal replacement therapy (RRT). In developing countries RRT is not uniformly available and treatment often relies on conservative management and intermittent peritoneal dialysis (IPD). This study investigates the possibility of using acacia gum supplementation to improve the quality of life and provide children with ESRD with a dialysis-free period. Three patients referred to our hospital with ESRD during a 3-month period were enrolled in a therapeutic trial to investigate the efficacy of acacia gum (1 g/kg per day in divided doses) as a complementary conservative measure aimed at improving the quality of life. Inclusion criteria included a pre-dialysis creatinine clearance of <5 ml/min, current dietary restrictions and supplementation, at least one dialysis session to control uremic symptoms, absence of life-threatening complications, and sufficient motivation to ensure compliance with the study protocol. One patient complied with the protocol for only 10 days and died after 6 months, despite IPD. Two patients completed the study. Both reported improved well-being. Neither became acidotic or uremic, and neither required dialysis during the study period. Both patients maintained urinary creatinine and urea levels not previously achieved without dialysis. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with acacia gum may be an alternative to renal replacement therapy to improve the quality of life and reduce or eliminate the need for dialysis in children with end stage renal disease in some developing countries. The effects of gum arabic oral treatment on the metabolic profile of chronic renal failure patients under regular haemodialysis in Central Sudan.
Nat Prod Res. 2008 Jan. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan.
This study aimed at assessing the effect of acacia gum oral treatment on the metabolic profile of chronic renal failure patients. A total of 36 chronic renal failure patients (under regular haemodialysis) and 10 normal subjects participated in this study. From this study, we conclude that oral administration of gum arabic could conceivably alleviate adverse effects of chronic renal failure. Effects of gum arabic ( Acacia senegal ) on water and electrolyte balance in healthy mice.
Ren Nutr. 2008 Mar. Department of Physiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Acacia gum is a dietary fiber is used in the traditional treatment of patients with chronic kidney disease in Middle Eastern countries. We explored the effects of acacia gum on the water and electrolyte balance of healthy wild-type mice. In conclusion, treatment with acacia gum resulted in moderate but significant increases of creatinine clearance and altered electrolyte excretion, i.e., effects favorable in renal insufficiency. My son has nephrotic syndrome and we heard about the acacia gum or the gum Arabic, and it's relation with kidney illness , is it true , and how can he use it. my son is 5 years and his immune system is very low.
I don't have personal experience using this substance to treat kidney disease, so I don't know. emails
Is acacia gum a glyconutrient?
I have not come across a good definition of what a glyconutrient is, so I really can't say for sure at this time. Q. Can acacia gum be taken with an ahcc pill?
A. Perhaps you can take them a few hours apart, we are not sure if acacia gum would interfere with AHCC absorption. Q. Are there any apparent contraindications using Artichoke leaf extract and acacia gum?
A. I don't suspect any untoward interactions. Q. Would the use of acacia gum interfere with the benefit of a multivitamin supplement used for more stamina?
A. I don't think there should be any interference.
====================================================================== Modified gum arabic may boost heart health Gum arabic super for blood pressure The modified gum arabic product 'SuperGum' may reduce blood pressure, even in people with normal levels, according to a new study from the UK and Japan. A daily dose of 25 grams of the gum for eight to 12 weeks reduced systolic blood pressure by an average of 5.6 mmHg, according to findings published in the journal Food Hydrocolloids. “This study has shown a significant beneficial effect of dietary supplementation with SuperGum on blood pressure in both normal individuals and patients with impaired renal function resultant from diabetes mellitus,” wrote the researchers, led by Aled Phillips from Cardiff University in the UK. “The data therefore further support the ‘dietary fibre hypothesis’ in which it was postulated over three decades ago that there is an inverse relationship between dietary fibre consumption and the incidence on a number of ‘Western’ diseases,” they added. Hydrocolloids for health A growing number of studies are looking at the potential of hydrocolloids as health ingredients. However, hydrocolloids are currently used in foods at levels is well below that needed to exert a physiological effect, with the exception of gum arabic in Slim Fast. But beyond their functional application, Dr Esther Hunter from CPL Business Consultants told FoodNavigator.com there is a lot of potential for hydrocolloids to be developed as health ingredients. "If hydrocolloid companies do not become more proactive in their approach to the functional food market then many are in danger of simply becoming commodity suppliers; other companies will reap the higher value that can be generated in the health and nutrition sector, an area marked by growing opportunity and general awareness," she said. In the wider hydrocolloids arena, there are already examples of companies that have successfully developed the market for soluble fibre and digestive health, for example. These include Danisco with its Litesse polydextrose, Beneo-Orafti with Beneo inulin, CNI with Fibregum acacia gum, Taiyo with SunFiberGum partially hydrolysed guar gum, and National Starch with H-Maize resistant starch. The new study involved 10 normal healthy people, 23 people with early diabetic kidney problems, and 14 people with advanced diabetic problems. All the participants received a daily dose of 25 grams of the gum, mixed in 250 ml of water, and flavoured. At the end of the study period, which ranged from 8 to 12 weeks, the overall effect was an average systolic blood pressure reduction of 5.6 mmHg (from 138.4 to 132.83 mmHg). Normal people who were neither hypertensive nor diabetic also experienced significant reductions of 5.5 mmHg (from 129.1 to 123.6 mmHg). “The reduction of blood pressure seen in the normotensive healthy volunteers is also likely to translate into an improved “vascular” outcome with the realisation that the relationship between blood pressure and risk of cardio/cerebrovascular disease is linear across all blood pressures,” wrote the researchers. Phillips and his co-workers noted, however, that there no effects observed of the gum on kidney function in patients with diabetic nephropathy. “It is likely therefore that the alterations in blood pressure that we have demonstrated which occurs over a relatively short time frame, will translate into marked improvement in renal and cardiac outcome,” they added. Source: Food Hydrocolloids
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2009.06.020
“Acacia(sen) SUPERGUM (Gum arabic): An evaluation of potential health benefits in human subjects”
Authors: D.A. Glover, K. Ushida, A.O. Phillips, S.G. Riley
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