WuHan Konson Konjac-- Natural food ingredient

For its properties of konjac glucomannan,modern reseach by the pharmaceutical have identified konjac glucomannan as a valuable medicinal ingredient as well as a versatile hydrocolloid with broad application prospests in the pharmaceutical industries.As a medicinal ingredient,konjac glucomannan works effectively in reducing cholesterol,blood sugar and weight loss.These values make konjac a major ingredient in phamaceutical products for the treatment of hyperlipidemia,obesity, diabetes and constipation.

1) Blood glucose & insulin sensitivity

Many diabetic patients keep track of the glycemic index of their foods. Foods with a high glycemic index, such as processed starches and the sugar in soft drinks, break down into glucose and enter the bloodstream relatively quickly. Unrefined, complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, have a low glycemic index and digest more slowly. Diabetic patients should consume food with a low glycemic index because rapid increases in blood glucose exacerbate overproduction of insulin by the pancreas and insulin resistance. Since they both affect the rapidity with which blood glucose rises after a meal, soluble fiber and foods with a low glycemic index confer similar benefits.

During digestion, wave-like currents caused by contractions of the intestinal muscles bring nutrients to the surface of the intestinal wall for absorption. After soluble fiber dissolves in water, however, it traps nutrients inside its gummy gel and slows down considerably while moving through the digestive tract. Inside the gel, nutrients are shielded from digestive enzymes and less likely to reach the wall of the intestines. Dietary sugars like carbohydrates and starch are among the nutrients trapped inside this gel. Consequently, sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly, blunting the sharp spike in blood glucose typically experienced by diabetic patients after a meal. Fewer spikes in blood glucose lead to greater sensitivity to the action of insulin. Avoiding high peaks and low valleys in blood glucose places less stress on the pancreas and is important not only to diabetics but also to those who want to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

The link between high blood cholesterol and poor heart health is well-known. Patients with type 2 diabetes, approximately 90% of whom are obese, are at an especially high risk for heart disease. Therefore, it is important to combat diabetes on multiple fronts, not only by watching blood glucose levels but blood cholesterol levels as well. Fortunately, KGM has been shown to lower blood cholesterol, including LDL cholesterol(Low Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol). Some evidence suggests that soluble fiber makes LDL particles less dense and, therefore, less harmful.

Besides trapping fat and cholesterol that would otherwise be digested by the body, there are two proposed mechanisms for the lowering of blood cholesterol by soluble fiber. In the first scenario, KGM traps bile acids in the same way that it traps sugars and carries them out of the body as waste. Bile acids are produced from cholesterol in the liver.Therefore, if bile acids are removed, the body pulls cholesterol from the bloodstream to produce more.

In the second theory, KGM shifts the bile acid pools away from cholic acid and toward another acid (chenodeoxycholic acid) that inhibits an enzyme involved in fat and cholesterol production (3-hydroxy 3 methylglutaryl CoA reductase).Decreased enzyme activity means less cholesterol produced by the liver and lower blood cholesterol levels.

Few aspects of health are more important to a diabetic patient than weight management. The overwhelming majority of diabetic patients are obese. Frustratingly, obese people are at a higher risk for insulin resistance, yet insulin resistance leads to fat storage. For this reason, many patients struggle to maintain a healthy weight.

Soluble fiber helps dieters in several ways. First,it contains no calaries and promotes bowel action. Second, the stomach empties more slowly, causing greater feelings of fullness and fewer cravings. Third, it soaks up some of the calories in a meal by trapping nutrients in its gel so that it is harder for them to be absorbed before leaving the body as eliminated waste.

Many people who develop type 2 diabetes are obese because of poor nutrition, putting their colons at risk. Soluble fiber makes stool softer and easier to pass, which means less constipation and fewer hemorrhoids. Helpful microorganisms in the intestines feed on 70-80% of dietary soluble fiber and are very important for overall health. If intestinal bacteria are fed properly, they become plentiful and widespread, spreading throughout the GI tract. Increased bacterial production causes increased fecal mass.

The products of fermentation are primarily lactate and short-chain fatty acids, most commonly acetic butyric and propionic acids. Short-chain fatty acids aid in the proliferation of mucosal cells that produce mucus for lubrication They are sources of energy and increase water and sodium absorption. A fatty acid gel moisturizes stool as well as nourishes and protects the intestinal lining of the intestines. Short-chain fatty acids also contribute to glucose metabolism, which may confer additional benefits to diabetic patients.