Summary
Obesity is considered an insulin resistant state. Dietary guar gum supplementation is able to reduce blood glucose and plasma insulin response to a carbohydrate meal. In order to evaluate whether guar is able to reduce hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance in gross obesity, we studied 9 obese patients, >50% overweight with impaired glucose tolerance before and after 4+4 g/day guar for 6 weeks. Six patients repeated the treatment with 8+8 g/day guar after a 3-month interval. Guar was added to the usual diet in order to maintain the body weight constant. Pre-treatment and post treatment study included: total specific insulin binding on circulating monocytes; 3H-glucose infusion and euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp at ∼100 µU/ml. The differences between post-treatment and pre-treatment values were not significant for any of the parameters studied. Fasting glucose production was: 2.17±0.33 SEM (pretreatment)vs 2.18±0.18 (4+4 g/day)vs 2.28±0.14 (8+8 g/day) mg/kg/min; glucose utilization was: 3.52±0.43vs 3.22±0.44vs 3.49±0.63 mg/kg/min; total specific insulin binding was: 2.80±0.20vs 2.75±0.25vs 2.78±0.31%; body weight was: 101.4±5.4vs 100.2±6.2vs 100.5±7.0 kg. These results indicate that dietary guar gum supplementationper se is unable to reduce insulin resistance in gross obesity if overweight is maintained constant.
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Cavallo-Perin, P., Bruno, A., Nuccio, P. et al. Dietary guar gum supplementation does not modify insulin resistance in gross obesity. Acta diabet. lat 22, 139–142 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02590787
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02590787