ID 1976 -
Guma arabska
PL: Guma arabska
EN: Acacia gum (gum arabic)
Pdf: acacia gum
1. Charakterystyka żywności / składnika
The food constituent that is the subject of the health claim is acacia gum (gum Arabic).
Acacia gum is a water-soluble type of fibre made of hardened sap taken from two species of the acacia tree: Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal. Acacia gum is a complex mixture of polysaccharides and glycoproteins, namely branched galactan composed of a backbone of D-galactose units and side chains of D-glucuronic acid with terminal L-rhamnose or L-arabinose units. Acacia gum is non- digestible in the human small intestine. The molecular weight is between 200 and 600 kDa. Acacia gum does not occur naturally in foods, is used primarily in the food industry as a stabilizer (E414) and is usually consumed in the form of food supplements.
The Panel considers that the food constituent, acacia gum, which is the subject of the health claim, is sufficiently characterised.
2. Znaczenie oświadczenia dla zdrowia człowieka
The claimed effect is “cholesterol”. The Panel assumes that the target population is the general population.
In the context of the proposed wordings, the Panel assumes that the claimed effect relates to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations.
Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) carry cholesterol from the liver to peripheral tissues, including the arteries. Elevated LDL-cholesterol, by convention >160 mg/dL, may compromise the normal function of the arteries.
The Panel considers that maintaining normal blood cholesterol concentrations is beneficial to human health.
3. Naukowe uzasadnienia wpływu na zdrowie człowieka - Utrzymanie prawidłowego stężenia cholesterolu we krwi
Out of the 10 references provided for the substantiation of the claimed effect, three were general reviews on the effects of fibre on blood lipids, one was on the metabolism of acacia gum and one was on the effects of acacia gum on outcomes other than blood lipids. The Panel considers that no conclusions can be drawn from these references in relation to the claimed effect.
Five intervention studies investigating the effects of acacia gum on serum lipids in humans have been provided.
Haskell et al. (1992) and Jensen et al. (1993) compared the effects of the low-viscosity fibre acacia gum at doses of 15 g/d to a mixture of high viscosity water-soluble fibre (psyllium, pectin, guar and locust bean gum) on blood lipids in hypercholesterolaemic males and females. The fibre mixture reduced serum total cholesterol concentrations by about 10 % and LDL-cholesterol by 14 %, whereas the acacia gum alone showed no effect on either total or LDL-cholesterol in both studies.
In a single-arm, non-controlled intervention, McLean Ross et al. (1983) studied five men on 25 g/d acacia gum for 3 weeks and found a significant 6.3 % decrease in serum total cholesterol. In a similar single-arm, non-controlled intervention, Sharma (1985) studied seven men on 30 g/d acacia gum for 30 days and found a significant 10 % decrease in serum total cholesterol. Owing to the small number of subjects studied, to the very high doses of acacia gum administered as compared to those proposed in the conditions of use, and to the uncontrolled nature of the study design, the Panel considers that no conclusions can be drawn from these studies with regards to the claimed effect.
Mee and Gee (1997) studied the effects of a mixture of apple fibre and acacia gum (10 g/d, approximately half apple fibre and half acacia gum) in a crossover study in 27 men and found a significant 10 % reduction in serum cholesterol and a significant 14 % reduction in LDL-cholesterol concentrations with the fibre mixture as compared to the non-fibre control. The Panel considers that no conclusions can be drawn from this study with regards to effects of the food component (acacia gum) for which the claim is made in relation to the claimed effect.
The cholesterol-lowering effect of water-soluble fibre depends on increased viscosity that reduces the reabsorption of bile acids, increases the synthesis of bile acids from cholesterol, and reduces circulating (LDL) cholesterol concentrations. Acacia gum has a relatively low viscosity, and its effects on blood cholesterol have been weak or non-detectable in the small, and often uncontrolled, clinical trials presented despite the relatively high doses used.
The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of acacia gum and maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations.
Warunki i możliwe ograniczenia stosowania oświadczenia
at least 15g/day
