Cholesterol, High Cholesterol

A double-blind placebo-controlled, cross-over study of 25 healthy normal weight middle-aged men found that 30 g/d of guar gum derived from guar beans, improved blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides, leading the authors to recommend guar gum for people with insulin resistance, a group of health risk factors that increase the likelihood of heart disease and diabetes. Study participants underwent a regimen of 2-weeks without treatment followed by 6 weeks of placebo or treatment 3 times a day. Compared to placebo, guar treatment was significantly associated with a the following: a 0.3 mmol/L decrease in fasting blood sugar, a 0.6 mmol/L decrease in cholesterol, a 0.2 mmol/L decrease in triglycerides, a 2.9 mU/L decrease in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity (important component of blood clotting), a decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (6 mmHg and 3 mmHg, respectively), and an increase in insulin sensitivity, measured with the euglycemic-clamp technique (the less glucose that’s taken up by tissues during the procedure, the more insulin resistant a patient is), of 1.2 mg . kg lean body mass-1 . min-1. (43)