Guar Gum
Galactomannan fiber thickener with a genuine cholesterol-lowering signal — and a cautionary tale about swelling.
What is Guar Gum?
Guar Gum (E412) is a sweetener or food additive used for thickens, stabilizes, and binds water at very low use levels (often 0.1-1%). NutriDex grades the human evidence as Moderate. Guar gum (E412) is a water-soluble galactomannan fiber milled from the seed endosperm of the guar bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), used at low levels as a thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier. It is FDA GRAS (21 CFR 184.1339) and was re-evaluated by EFSA in 2017, which concluded there was no safety concern and no need for a numerical ADI; JECFA likewise assigns an ADI "not specified." Human RCT evidence is robust and reassuring at food-additive levels, and meta-analyses show modest LDL/total-cholesterol lowering when guar gum is taken as a supplemental fiber in gram doses. The main documented hazard is mechanical: concentrated, rapidly-swelling guar gum in dehydrated diet tablets caused esophageal and bowel obstruction, prompting a 1992 FDA ban on guar gum in OTC weight-loss drugs.