Glucomannan- Hot or Hype

In this month’s Women’s Health Magazine, its article “The WH Perfect Body Diet” provides a sample diet to lead you on your way to your dream body.  “Watch out ,_________, (insert name of celebrity or person you secretly admire and loathe for their bodacious body), here I come”!  The diet itself is run-of-the-mill, however the author touts a new super-drug called Glucomannan, and the sample diet recommends the consumption of 6 grams a day of this miracle pill.  Glucomannan, according to the article, is a soluble fiber that comes from an Asian plant known as the konjac, or elephant yam.  It is able to expand up to 50 times its own water weight, so it theoretically expands in your digestive tract, making you feel fuller and less likely to binge on those tasty delicious treats in the vending machines.  It is also NOT supposed to make you feel uber bloated and gassy like many other soluble fiber formulas and foods. 

So in an effort to test out its magic, I have recently purchased my $10 bottle  of 180 2 g capsules of NSI Glucomannan from vitacost.com.  The article recommends breaking the capsule and pouring its contents into sauces, salad dressings, oatmeal, hummus, etc. and stirring until it dissolves.  Bon Appetit! 

 Secretly I don’t really know what it means “to expand up to 50 times its own water weight” and how this phenomenon doesn’t cause blockage in the bowels or at the very least that oh-so-wonderful tummy rumble feeling.  In 2 weeks, I will update you on the effects, benefits, and drawbacks of Glucommanan and report as to whether it is the hot new thing or merely just hype.