Did You Know…that acacia powder can help optimize digestive function and promote a healthy heart?
Acacia fiber comes from the sap of the Acacia Senegal tree that grows in Africa, Pakistan, and India. It’s a great source of soluble fiber, the type that dissolves in water and coats your intestines with its gel-like substance.
Preliminary studies suggest that acacia fiber may help lower cholesterol levels, stabilize blood sugar levels, safeguard against diabetes, and ease digestive troubles such as constipation, diarrhea, and conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. Acacia fiber may even help promote weight loss!
High Fiber, Healthy Heart
Acacia fiber can help enhance heart health by lowering cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure. A 2009 meta-analysis published in Food and Chemical Toxicology reported that acacia fiber seems to lower cholesterol levels in rats.
Another animal-based study in Kidney & Blood Pressure Research in 2012 showed that acacia fiber helped lower blood pressure in diabetic mice. The study’s authors concluded that acacia fiber may help defend against diabetic nephropathy, a form of kidney damage caused by poor diabetes management and high blood pressure. Fiber also slows the rate at which your body absorbs sugar from food, thereby helping to control blood sugar levels.
High Fiber, Healthy Living
Acacia fiber is also used to protect against liver damage. A 2003 study published in Pharmacology Research showed that mice treated with acetaminophen (Tylenol—the long-term use of which is known to cause liver damage) suffered less toxic effects and damage from oxidative stress when given acacia fiber. Fiber fills you up, helping to suppress appetite and promote weight loss. Acacia fiber goes even further. A 2012 Nutrition Journal study showed that gum Arabic made from acacia powder reduced body mass index and body fat percentages in healthy women. Participants who took 30 grams a day for 6 weeks had a 2% reduction in body mass index compared to those who didn’t supplement with acacia powder.
Taking Acacia Fiber
Acacia fiber is best consumed in powdered form, which measures in at 5 grams of fiber for every 5.6 gram serving, about 1 tablespoon. Add 1 tablespoon to 8 ounces of water or juice. Experts recommend gradually increasing your consumption of acacia fiber. Too much fiber too soon can cause constipation, bloating, and gas.
