Functional Significance of Gum acacia in the Management of Obesity

Abstract

Consumption of diets rich in fat and refined sugars are recognized to be the cause of altered intestinal functionality and metabolic disorders like obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Different epidemiologic studies have shown a significant relationship between lower intake of fibre and metabolic disorders. There are many naturally occurring dietary fibres among which gums are utmost important class e.g. guar gum, locust bean gum, tara gum, gellan gum, and gum acacia. Gum acacia has been considered as a safe dietary fibre by the United States, Food and Drug Administration and it is used widely as a stabilizer, thickening agent, and emulsifier in the food industry. Though gum acacia feeding has been reported to exert many beneficial effects in both rodents and humans, the underpinning for the different proposed molecular mechanisms are still elusive. So it would be of great relevance to conduct studies to understand the molecular mechanism of action of such fibres in the management of metabolic diseases.