Glucomannan for Weight Loss: Does it Work? | Side Effects, Dosage

Is Glucomannan an Effective Weight Loss Ingredient?

Does glucomannan really work? Or, it is just another hyped substance not worth a penny. 

Let’s find out…

Glucomannan is a water-soluble fiber extracted from a Southeast Asian plant elephant yam. On consumption, it expands in your stomach suppressing your appetite for a long. The effect can be beneficial for weight loss.

Glucomannan weight loss success stories further back such wild claims. Should you trust the ingredient? is it safe for weight loss? Or, you should continue your question— is glucomannan really effective, and is glucomannan safe or not?

You can’t be sure about its benefits and shortcomings. This article aims to explore everything about this superb weight loss ingredient. 

Let’s know what it can do, its weight loss effects, benefits, dosage, and more…

 

Glucomannan for Weight Loss

does glucomannan really work for weight loss

According to some weight loss supplement manufacturers, Glucomannan is a magical substance slimming you in a few days. So, what is glucomannan in reality?

Also known by the name konjac, it is a natural water-soluble fiber. It is extracted from the roots of the elephant yam, a plant found in Southeast Asian countries.

In traditional Chinese medicine, it helped detoxify the body as well as ease the symptoms of asthma. One can find glucomannan in all kinds of foods like tofu and noodles.

If you have tried shirataki noodles, glucomannan is the main ingredient. On top of that, it is a key ingredient for various foods like pasta, gels, and candies.

The most impressive thing about glucomannan is its weight loss effects. Accordingly to a few studies, its appetite-suppressing effects can be a breakthrough in providing intense slimming results.

 

Does Glucomannan Really Work For Weight Loss?

This ingredient is a water-soluble dietary fiber. Fresh glucomannan contains around 87% of water and 13% of dry matter. In this 13% of dry matter, 64% is glucomannan. Glucomannan after consumption, when reaches your stomach, absorbs water, and expands.

This creates an artificial feeling of fullness reducing your further food consumption. Eventually, it decimates your daily calorie consumption. 

To elaborate, this water-soluble dietary fiber expands in the stomach and absorbs fats and acids. It then flushes it out of the body through stool and thus restricts its digestion. This as a result prevents the calorie-effect leading to weight loss. That’s how glucomannan works for weight loss. 

Further, the best glucomannan pills for weight loss suppress your appetite to support your slimming efforts without adding many calories.

On top of that, it elevates satiety by delaying the emptying of the stomach. It even lessens the absorption of fat and protein to contribute to your weight loss efforts.

The ingredient work as a key probiotic to help improve your gut health. It balances your gut microbiome, which can play a crucial role in improving your body weight composition.

The next big question is glucomannan safe for weight loss?

Well, in most of the research, it was well-tolerated by obese and overweight patients when taken in recommended dosage.

 

So, Is Glucomannan Really Effective?

Unlike other soluble fibers, Glucomannan is different. It is extremely gluey making it effective for weight loss.

It absorbs water in your stomach to make you fuller to lessen your calorie intake while offering other weight loss benefits. Indeed, these effects advance your weight loss efforts.

Here’s a study to prove does glucomannan really work for weight loss or not.  

EVIDENCE

Various trials found glucomannan supplementation effective for weight loss. However, the final outcome differs drastically. Here’s one of the studies.

In a study on a large population, researchers examined the effects of glucomannan on weight loss. The preliminary study and critical review on glucomannan and obesity suggest GM promotes weight loss. With a dose of 2-4g per day, it resulted in significant weight loss in overweight and obese individuals. 

Also, it was well tolerated. There was also some evidence of satiety and fecal energy loss. it also improved lipid and lipoprotein parameters.

The entire discussion suggests you can trust glucomannan for weight loss. Apart from fat loss, it has much more to offer you.

 

Health Benefits of Glucomannan (Konjac Fibre)

health benefits of glucomannann

The superb hyped weight loss ingredient offers beyond the claimed effects.

In other words, it delivers myriads of benefits effective for overall health.

Let’s explore the major Glucomannan benefits.

 

#1. Controls Overactive Thyroid

The overactive thyroid gland can trigger weight loss,  slower your overall metabolism, and make you fatigued. 

Adding glucomannan to your diet can improve your metabolism by reducing overactive thyroid hormone function. As per the Journal of American College of Nutrition, using Konjac glucomannan can reduce the serum Thyroid hormones in hyperthyroidism.  

 

#2. Improves Gut Health

 Glucomannnan is a natural prebiotic. Probiotics are essential for the gut but its prebiotics that actually feeds the probiotics. To elaborate, glucomannan remains undigested in the body.

However, when it reaches the colon, it gets completely fermented by fecal bacteria. This as a result leads to the formation of probiotics and a healthy gut later. 

 

#3. Relieves Constipation

Chronic constipation or even a few constipation episodes can be problematic. Fortunately, glucomannan is effective in relieving constipation. It works as a natural laxative.

So, it helps improve your bowel movement. Also, it improves the passing of your stool.

 

#4. Drops Cholesterol

According to a few studies, taking glucomannan is effective in reducing your cholesterol level. It is effective for your total cholesterol level and bad cholesterol level.

However, it doesn’t seem to improve your good cholesterol level. More studies can approve the claims in this respect.

 

#5. Blood Sugar Control

High blood sugar levels can be harmful. Glucomannan helps control your blood sugar surge. Various studies find it effective for diabetics.

It delays the rate of the stomach emptying process. This increases sugar absorption improving your blood sugar level.

These are the major benefits of glucomannan other than its popular weight loss effects. If you want, you can use glucomannan tablets, to receive these benefits. Indeed, the perks are impressive, but are they safe?

The question is more important than asking does glucomannan work or not. Most of the time the highly popular ingredients have vicious side effects.

 

Glucomannan Side Effects | Is it Safe?

According to recent reports, glucomannan for weight loss is extremely popular. However, this shouldn’t sideline the possibility of side effects and health risks. There are some factors, you need to look into…

 

#1. Possible Health Risks

 You should never take it dry. It is likely to choke you if you directly swallow the glucomannan powder. If you have health problems, avoid using them in the first place. 

The mild side effects of glucomannan are:

  • Bloating
  • Flatulence
  • Soft stools
  • Diarrhea

In general, people are glucomannan tolerant, but everyone’s gut responds differently. The glucomannan side effects aren’t concerning. They are mild effects. If it continues to bother you, you should avoid using the supplements.

 

#2. Glucomannan Powder Is Safer

The glucomannan form can increase or decrease the risk related to the ingredient. In comparison to other forms, glucomannan supplements and powder are safer.

You can continue taking it for 4 months without harmful effects. Some can get mild glucomannan side effects. Also, it is unsafe for children. 

 So, is glucomannan safe in general?

In general, the weight loss ingredient is safe, but it can cause side effects in a few cases. If taking it for its most popular benefit i.e. weight loss, knowing how to take glucomannan for weight loss can help.

 

The Safe Glucomannan Dosage

When it comes to weight loss ingredients, people tend to overdose. They think it would provide fast weight loss.

Instead, it introduces harsh complications, and various glucomannan side effects reviews confirm the statement. Thus, you need to know the safe and the right dosages of glucomannan.

 

How Much Glucomannan Should I Take?

In general, 2g to 4g of glucomannan daily is safe. You should never exceed the mentioned dosages. It can result in glucomannan side effects discussed above. To get the best results, you need to know how to take glucomannan powder.

 

How to Take Glucomannan for Weight Loss?

 You should take it 15 minutes or an hour before your meal. Moreover, you should take it with 1 to 2 glasses of water.  This ensures it expands after reaching your stomach or else it can be harmful.

You should never take glucomannan near bedtime. It can trigger some side effects and may trouble your sleep cycle. So, avoid it in the first place before hitting the sack.

 

Who Should Avoid Glucomannan?

For following folks, glucomannan dosages for weight loss can be harmful

  • Children
  • Teenage
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
  • Diabetic Patients
  • Those with underlying disease

If you fall in the above category, avoid the glucomannan dosage for weight loss. It can harm your health while causing side effects of glucomannan. The weight-loss benefits of the ingredient are impressive. However, in which form should you take it. Let’s find out…

 

Glucomannan In Food, As Powder or Capsules: Which is Better?

which is better glucomannan powder or capsules

Glucomannan weight loss benefits are impressive. You need to use it properly to receive the benefits of the weight loss ingredients. Glucomannan is available in different forms. You need to select the one according to your comfort.

The main forms of glucomannan are:

 

#1. Glucomannan Powder

It is a tasteless powder, you can add to your smoothies, shakes, and other foods. It even adds a thick consistency making your meal taste better.

 

#2. Glucomannan Capsules

Of course, the easiest form to consume glucomannan is its supplement form. You can intake it easily. However, you should take the best glucomannan supplement with one or two glasses of water to ensure the ingredient expands in your stomach rather than elsewhere.

 

#3. The Glucomannan in Food Products 

Glucomannan is present as a key ingredient in different meals. Indeed, Japanese shirataki noodles are the most popular glucomannan food product. This isn’t all. There are many other types of glucomannan food products you can try.

  • Glucomannan gummy candies
  • Glucomannan chews
  • Japanese shirataki noodles
  • Glucomannan rice
  • Glucomannan pasta
  • Flour of Glucomannan
  • Glucomannan shots
  • Glucomannan meal replacement shakes

You can take any of the glucomannan forms to boost your weight loss. Or, you can try multiple of them (under the guidance of a dietician) to receive their benefits subsequently. Still, you need to consume less than the recommended glucomannan dosage for weight loss.

Lastly, there are 2 more queries that still remain unanswered. Let’s tackle them one by one. 

How much weight can I lose with Glucomannan?

It entirely depends on the complete weight loss effort as suggested than the ingredient.

And how long does it take for glucomannan to work? It works from the first day you take it.

However, to receive significant weight loss, you need to use it for a longer duration along with a calorie-restricting diet and an active workout program.

Note: If you want to lose weight, other than learning what to do, you must also know what weight loss mistakes to avoid. 

Does glucomannan really work? The entire discussion ends on the weight loss substance and it’s for you to answer whether it works for you or not.

In the end, let’s jot down the important points that will help you come to a conclusion.

 

Final Thoughts

Nowadays, we encounter lots of weight-loss trends. Of course, a glucomannan weight loss supplement is one of them. This magic root is popular these days for its ability to lose pounds. 

So, does glucomannan really work?

Unlike other weight loss substances, glucomannan has some scientific backing. The water-soluble fiber expands in your stomach to delay your hunger pangs. The reduction in appetite leads to calorie deficiency resulting in weight loss.

On top of that, the results are evident in folks who consumed glucomannan, a calorie-deficient diet, and an active training program. This indicates it works as a contributing element to a successful weight loss program.

If you think, it can magically eliminate your body fat, nothing of that sort will happen. Instead, you would be at a dead end. The key is to keep an eye on your glucomannan dosages and the rest you know.

That’s all for now. We will discuss something interesting related to fitness and weight loss in the next blog. Till then, do let us know your views on glucomannan for weight loss and other health benefits.