KGM (konjac glucomannan) is water-soluble and is one of the most viscous dietary fibres known, due to its high water-absorbing capacity.
As beta-1,4 linkages of KGM cannot be hydrolysed by salivary and pancreatic amylase. KGM passes into the colon unchanged and is fermented by colonic bacteria (Keithley and Swanson, 2005).
KGM has recently been marketed in capsule form, as a drink mix and in food products (Brown, 2000; Talbott, 2003) and has been touted for its potential in the treatment of obesity (Kraemer et al.,2007), obesity-related dyslipidemia (Gallaher et al., 2000; Keithley and Swanson, 2005; Vasques et al., 2008) and diabetes (Vuksan et al., 1999, 2000, 2001) by promotion of satiety (Sood et al., 2008).
The potential use of KGM as a prebiotic (Al-Ghazzewi et al., 2007; Chen et al., 2005, 2006, 2008; Elamir et al., 2008; Wang et al., 2008) and as an immunomodulator (Onishi et al., 2007a,b) has also been suggested.
For weight loss, a recommended dosage is 1 g three times a day, 1 h before meals
Higher doses, ranging from 3.6 to 13 g a day, have been recommended for managing type 2 diabetes, insulin-resistance syndrome and dyslipidemia (Keithley and Swanson, 2005).