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Pancreatic and Intestinal Response to Dietary Guar Gum in Rats¹

Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA 95616

Rats were fed a fiber-free semi-purified diet or one containing 10% guar gum, a hydrophilic galactomannan, or a laboratory stock diet. The presence of guar gum in the diet decreased food intake and body weight gain perhaps due to distension of the gastrointestinal tract. Relative to the group fed fiber-free diet, liver weight was smaller and pancreas weight larger in the groups consuming guar gum or the stock diet. The latter 2 diets were hypocholesterolemic relative to the fiber-free diet. In both the unfed and fed state the wet weight of the intestine was significantly greater in the rats consuming guar gum. The greatest difference was in the wet weights of the small intestine in the fed animals. In the pancreas, there were no notable differences in digestive enzyme activity between the groups fed guar and fiber-free diet. However, in the intestine, lipase, amylase and total proteolytic activity were significantly greater in the rats fed guar gum. This elevation of enzyme activity in the intestine could be due to a slower rate of enzyme degradation or to enhancement of the enzyme secretion. The ability of guar gum to increase the volume of intestinal contents may be important in its slowing of absorption.

KEY WORDS: • guar gum • dietary fiber • bile acids • pancreatic enzymes • digestion

¹ Supported in part by National Institutes of Health grant AM-20446.

Manuscript received 13 December 1982.

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