Diabetes, indicated by excessive blood sugar, is a serious disease that can have life-threatening complications. Your doctor may advise lifestyle changes -- such as exercise and eating a healthy diet -- to treat your diabetes; he may also prescribe oral medications or insulin. Herbalists sometimes recommend konjac mannan -- a type of dietary fiber obtained from the elephant yam -- to help control diabetes. MayoClinic.com reports that konjac mannan, also called konjac glucomannan, shows promise in treating diabetes; early clinical studies have supported its blood sugar-lowering effects. Consult your doctor before taking konjac mannan.
Diabetes Features
Diabetes results when your supply of insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas, is unable to perform its usual function of helping sugar -- or glucose -- move from your bloodstream into your cells. Type 1 diabetes usually appears in childhood and is caused when insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the body's immune system. In type 2 diabetes, which may develop at any age, your cells become resistant to the effects of insulin. In both types of diabetes, the result is too much glucose building up in your blood. Symptoms include intense hunger and thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision and frequent infections. See your doctor promptly if you have diabetes symptoms. Complications of diabetes can include cardiovascular and kidney disease, nerve damage and digestive problems.
Konjac Glucomannan
Konjac glucomannan is made from the underground storage structures of the elephant yam, botanically known as Amorphophallus konjac. Konjac glucomannan contains 49 to 60 percent glucomannan and 10 to 30 percent starch. It also contains soluble sugars, protein, beta-carotene, B-complex vitamins and serotonin. Konjac glucomannan, which swells into a sticky gel when exposed to water, can absorb 50 times its own weight in fluids. Drugs.com, which provides peer-reviewed medical information to consumers, notes that glucomannan increases the viscosity of the intestinal contents and slows gastric emptying, allowing it to reduce after-meal blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity. The website notes that diabetic patients who took glucomannan were able to reduce their insulin dose. Blue Shield Complementary and Alternative Health, BSCAH, concurs that glucomannan helps to lower insulin resistance and after-meal blood sugar levels, improving overall blood glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes.
Research
In a systematic review published in 2008 in "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," the authors evaluated 14 existing randomized controlled clinical trials for the impact of glucomannan on plasma lipids and fasting blood sugar. They reported that the use of glucomannan significantly lowered fasting blood glucose levels. It also lowered LDL cholesterol without decreasing beneficial HDL and reduced body weight and triglycerides, or fats, in the blood.
Usage and Considerations
Konjac glucomannan is available in the form of capsules and tablets. For type 2 diabetes, BSCAH recommends taking 500 to 700 mg of glucomannan for every 100 calories ingested. The website advises starting out with a small amount and slowly increasing it. Drink at least 8 oz. of water with each dose. If you take other medications, take them one hour before or four hours after glucomannan. Glucomannan tablets have caused severe esophageal and gastrointestinal tract obstruction and shouldn't be used by people with structural abnormalities of the esophagus or gut. Drugs.com notes that hypoglycemic effects can be dangerous to patients with diabetes. Minor side effects from glucomannan include diarrhea, flatulence and bloating. Sensitivities to inhaled glucomannan powder have been reported. Consult your doctor before using glucomannan. If you are pregnant or breast feeding, don't use glucomannan.
References
- Drugs.com: Complete Glucomannan Information
- Blue Shield Complementary and Alternative Health: Glucomannan
- MayoClinic.com; Diabetes; Mayo Clinic Staff; March 2011
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Effect of Glucomannan on Plasma Lipid and Glucose Concentrations, Body Weight, and Blood Pressure: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis; N. Sood et al.; October 2008
