[Use of guar gum as a supplement to the usual diet in type 2 diabetes. A long-term study]

The effects of diet supplementation with guar rubber in granules (15 g/day, divided in three doses with the major meals) were compared during 3 months with a control group in a randomized study. Thirty-five type II diabetic patients were randomized into two groups (guar and control) of 16 and 19 patients, respectively. The patients in the guar group showed an improvement in the carbohydrate and lipid metabolism as compared with the control group; however, in our opinion, this improvement was not important enough to recommend the routine use of guar rubber in the diet of the diabetic patient owing to its poor acceptance.