ID 795 -
Guma guar
PL: Guma guar
EN: Cyamopsis tetragonolobus (Guar)
Pdf: Cyamopsis tetragonoloba
1. Charakterystyka żywności / składnika
The food constituent that is the subject of the health claims is guar gum. Guar gum is a water-soluble type of fibre, a galactomannan composed of a backbone of D-mannose units with D-galactose attached at every second mannose unit. It is derived from the cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.). Guar gum is non-digestible in the human small intestine. The molecular weight is about
220 kDa. Guar gum is not naturally occurring in foods and is usually consumed in the form of food supplements. Guar gum has a high viscosity, it is used as a thickener by the food industry, and can be measured in foods by established methods.
The Panel considers that the food constituent, guar gum, which is the subject of the health claims is sufficiently characterised.
2.2. Zwiększenie sytości (ID 795)
The claimed effect is “satiety”. The Panel assumes that the target population is individuals who need to control their energy intake.
Satiety understood as the decrease in motivation to eat after consumption of food varies in magnitude and duration and may include only changes in appetite ratings (hunger, fullness, satiety, and desire to eat) or also a reduction in subsequent energy intake. The effect may persist for up to several hours, may change energy intake either at the next meal or across the day and, if sustained, may lead to a reduction in body weight. In the context of this Opinion, satiety is interpreted as the decrease in the motivation to eat after consumption of food leading to a reduction in energy intake.
The Panel considers that an increase in satiety might be a beneficial physiological effect.
3.2. Zwiększenie sytości (ID 795)
The references provided in relation to this claim include intervention studies and reviews on the effects of dietary fibre in general, and on the effects of guar gum on outcomes other than measures of satiety (e.g., post-prandial insulin and glucose, insulin sensitivity, blood glucose control, blood pressure). The Panel considers that no scientific conclusions can be drawn from these references for the substantiation of the claim.
Among the references provided including measures of satiety, two (Kovacs et al., 2001 and 2002a) describe the test product as “modified” guar gum. The Panel is uncertain on how the “modified” guar gum relates to the food which is the subject of the health claim but assumes that any modification to structure could affect function in relation to the claimed effect and therefore these references were not considered pertinent to the claim.
One of the studies presented assessed the effects of guar gum on appetite ratings during 10 weeks of supplementation (Krotkiewski, 1984), and five additional studies investigated the effects of guar gum on appetite ratings after a single meal (French and Read, 1994; Wilmshurst and Crawley, 1980; Adam and Westerterp-Plantenga, 2005a; Adam and Westerterp-Plantenga, 2005b; Ellis et al., 1981). None of these studies addressed the effects of guar gum on subsequent energy intake. The Panel considers that no sientific conclusions can be drawn form these studies for the substantiation of the claim.
Only two of the studies cited investigate the effects of guar gum supplementation on subsequent energy intake. Lavin and Read (1995) provided 10 healthy male volunteers with 30% glucose drinks with and without the addition of guar gum (2%) and compared appetite ratings over 3 h post consumption as well as energy intake at a test meal consumed 3.5 hours after the drinks. Whilst guar gum supplementation reduced hunger and desire to eat and increased fullness and satiety, energy intake at the test meal was unchanged. In contrast, in a single-blind randomised cross-over intervention (Evans and Miller, 1975), 10 volunteers (three overweight) received either guar gum (~9 g) or methylcellulose (~10 g) 30 minutes before lunch and dinner for one week each. Each treatment week was preceeded by a treatment-free baseline period and food intake was measured over the entire 4-week duration of the study. The effects of the interventions on appetite ratings were not assessed. The Panel notes that it is unclear from the publication whether measurements of food intake were undertaken in the laboratory or were self-reported, although the fact that individuals were allowed to follow their normal way of life and choose their own diet ad libitum points towards the latter, the validity of which is questionable, particularly taking into account that the effect of both interventions (guar gum and methylcellulose) was more pronounced in overweight subjects. The Panel notes that no scientific conclusions can be drawn form this study for the substantiation of the claim.
In weighing the evidence, the Panel took into account that no controlled studies assessing the effects of guar gum consumption on appetite ratings and subsequent energy intake have been presented.
The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of guar gum and increased satiety.
Warunki i możliwe ograniczenia stosowania oświadczenia
Provide at least 3,25 g/day
