Chewing Xanthan Gum
Okay, so the title of this piece is a little tongue-in-cheek
(not to be confused with gum in cheek, ha ha), because obviously xanthan gum
isn’t the candy you might use to appease a wailing child. It’s a food additive,
and like most additives, it has both a negative side and positive side.
If you’ve ever read the ingredients on a bottle of salad
dressing or sauces, or even on packages of ice cream, you will likely find
xanthan gum listed. Like polysorbate and carrageenan, it keeps ingredients from
separating and making the product appear inedible. It can also help thicken the
product.
Xanthan gum is made by fermenting glucose, sucrose, or
lactose with the bacterium Xanthomonus campestris. This bacterium is the same one
that creates the black spots on cauliflower and broccoli. Your mouth watering
yet?
If you’re allergic or sensitive to corn or soy, you may wish
to avoid xanthan gum, as companies may be using these ingredients in its
production. It’s also possible it could cause bloating and abdominal pain for
some people. This could be because it’s a carbohydrate with 7 grams of fiber
per tablespoon. However, take a look at this post by someone who has abdominal
distress after consuming products containing xanthan gum: http://elskbrev.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/adverse-side-effects-of-xanthan-gum/
I’ve also read that exposure to xanthan gum might cause
migraines, skin irritation, or in the case of bakers working with the powder,
throat and nose irritation.
Now on to another interesting part of my discovery. In the
1970s, an experiment performed on people who were looking to lose weight showed
that taking xanthan gum in capsule form (two 550 milligrams 20-30 minutes
before meals) helped shed weight. Another study following that one also
affected weight loss, but it was a slow loss.
I find this interesting, because in all my research I can’t
find anything where people have tried taking xanthan gum for weight loss. I’ve
found that several people use it in smoothie recipes or baked goods (especially
if they can’t consume products containing gluten). If you know of anyone who
has used xanthan gum to aid in their weight loss plan, please have them contact
me. I’d love to interview him or her.
The FDA regards xanthan gum to be safe. FAO/WHO could not
find any toxic effects or carcinogens attributable to the gum. So although
people may be sensitive to this product or allergic to the ingredients it’s
derived from, in general it seems to be a harmless product.
Comments
Post a Comment