Organic Acacia by SuperSmart

INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE to RATE

• Dental plaque. It is unclear if oral or topical gum arabic is beneficial for preventing or treating dental plaque. Details: Preliminary clinical research shows that chewing gum arabic for 10 minutes, five times daily for 7 days, reduces dental plaque when compared with chewing sugar-free gum (30220). Another small clinical study in adults with mild or moderate plaque-induced gingivitis shows that applying half a teaspoon of gum arabic powder to the buccal surface of dentogingivial areas for 5 minutes then rinsing with tap water twice daily for 60 days reduces dental plaque in patients with moderate, but not high, plaque accumulation when compared with placebo (111508). Gum arabic has also been evaluated in combination with other ingredients for this purpose. A small clinical study shows that applying a pea-size amount of gel containing gum arabic, barleria, medlar, terminalia, and melia (Gum Tone Gel, Charak Pharma Pvt Ltd.) after brushing for 6 weeks decreases plaque severity when compared with placebo. The gel is similar in effectiveness to chlorhexidine 1% gel (92887). However, it's unclear if these findings are due to gum arabic, other ingredients, or the combination.
• Diabetes. It is unclear if oral gum arabic is beneficial in patients with diabetes. Details: Clinical research in adults with type 2 diabetes who are taking oral antidiabetes medications shows that taking gum arabic powder 30 grams daily in the morning for 3 months modestly reduces fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) when compared with baseline. Gum arabic also modestly reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, body mass index, and hip circumference, but not waist circumference or blood pressure, when compared with baseline (98700,99098). The validity of these findings is limited by the lack of a comparison to the placebo group.
• Gingivitis. It is unclear if topical gum arabic is beneficial in patients with gingivitis. Details: A small clinical study in adults with mild or moderate plaque-induced gingivitis shows that applying half a teaspoon of gum arabic powder to the buccal surface of dentogingivial areas for 5 minutes then rinsing with tap water twice daily for 60 days reduces gingival inflammation in patients with mild, but not moderate, gingivitis when compared with placebo (111508). Another small clinical study in patients with chronic gingivitis shows that applying a pea-size amount of gel containing a mixture of ingredients including gum arabic, barleria, medlar, terminalia, and melia (Gum Tone Gel, Charak Pharma Pvt Ltd.) after brushing for 6 weeks decreases gingivitis severity when compared with placebo. The gel was no better than using chlorhexidine 1% gel (92887). However, it's unclear if these findings are due to gum arabic, other ingredients, or the combination.
• Hypercholesterolemia. It is unclear if oral gum arabic helps to reduce high cholesterol levels. Details: One small clinical study in patients with hypercholesterolemia shows that taking gum arabic 5 grams twice daily for 4 weeks does not seem to affect plasma lipid levels when compared with baseline (8072).
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Although there is interest in using oral gum arabic for IBS, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of gum arabic for this condition.
• Kidney failure. Although there is interest in using oral gum arabic for kidney failure, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of gum arabic for this condition.
• Metabolic syndrome. It is unclear if oral gum arabic is beneficial for preventing metabolic syndrome. Details: One small clinical study in healthy adults at risk for metabolic syndrome shows that taking gum arabic 20 grams daily for 12 weeks modestly reduces blood pressure and increases fat-free mass when compared with baseline, but not when compared with taking pectin 1 gram. There were no changes in weight, glycated hemoglobin, or cholesterol levels (105039).
• Obesity. It is unclear if oral gum arabic is beneficial for promoting weight loss. Details: One small clinical study in healthy adults shows that taking powdered gum arabic 18 grams in the morning and 12 grams in the evening for 6 weeks reduces body mass index by 0.32 kg/m2 and body fat percentage by about 2% when compared with placebo. Body weight was also reduced by 1.2%, but this was not significant when compared with placebo (18237). It is unclear if gum arabic is beneficial in individuals with obesity.
• Peristomal lesions. It is unclear if topical gum arabic is beneficial for preventing peristomal lesions in patients with a colostomy bag. Details: Preliminary clinical research in infants shows that applying a thick layer of gum arabic gel to peristomal skin before attaching a colostomy bag twice daily for 4 weeks decreases the incidence of postoperative peristomal dermatitis by about 78% when compared with zinc sulfate ointment (92886).
• Sickle cell disease. It is unclear if oral gum arabic is beneficial in patients with sickle cell disease. Details: Preliminary clinical research in patients with sickle cell disease shows that taking gum arabic powder 30 grams daily for 12 weeks does not improve most markers of liver and kidney function in these patients. While an improvement in direct bilirubin levels was observed when compared to baseline, no significant changes in serum levels of total bilirubin, albumin, protein, liver enzymes, urea, or creatinine were reported (102087). However, in this same group of patients, gum arabic did reduce levels of total cholesterol by 8 mg/dL, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 5 mg/dL, and triglycerides by 12 mg/dL when compared with baseline. Significant improvements in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were lacking (102088). This research is limited by the lack of a control group, Also, it is unclear whether gum arabic can improve clinical outcomes in patients with sickle cell disease. More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of gum arabic for these uses.

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LIKELY SAFE ...when used orally and appropriately in amounts commonly found in foods. Gum arabic has Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status for use in foods in the US. It is also considered to be safe for use as a food additive by the European Food Safety Authority (4912,105040).

POSSIBLY SAFE ...when used orally and appropriately in medicinal amounts (8072). Up to 30 grams daily of powdered gum arabic has been used with apparent safety for 3 months (18237,99098,105040).

PREGNANCY AND LACTATION:
Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using in amounts greater than those found in foods (4912,105040).

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AMOXICILLIN (Amoxil, Trimox) Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Probable •  Level of Evidence = B Gum arabic can reduce the absorption of amoxicillin.  Details A small study in healthy volunteers shows that taking amoxicillin and gum arabic concurrently significantly reduces the absorption of amoxicillin. Separate doses of amoxicillin from gum arabic by at least 2 hours (12654).

ORAL DRUGS Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = B Theoretically, gum arabic can alter the absorption of oral drugs due to its fiber content.  Details Gum arabic has been used as a suspending osmotic agent in drug formulations. It might improve bioavailability of water-insoluble drugs like naproxen, but reduce absorption of polar drugs like amoxicillin (12654,104058). To avoid changes in absorption, take gum arabic 30-60 minutes after oral medications.

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General ...Orally, gum arabic seems to be generally well tolerated.
Most Common Adverse Effects:
Orally: Abdominal bloating, flatulence, mild diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

Gastrointestinal ...Orally, gum arabic can cause minor gastrointestinal disturbances such as abdominal bloating, flatulence, nausea, vomiting, cramping, and mild diarrhea (8072,18237,99098,105038,105040,108051). These effects occurred in 15%, 82%, and 90% of subjects respectively in one study (18237). They may subside with continued use within 2 weeks (8072,18237,99098,105038).

Immunologic ...Gum arabic might cause allergic reactions. In one case report, a patient had an immunoglobulin E response after exposure to gum arabic. However, there have been no identified case reports of allergic reactions after oral exposure to gum arabic (19636,105040).

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