A growing number of studies are looking at the potential of this gum, and other hydrocolloids, as health ingredients.
However, hydrocolloids are currently used in foods at levels is well below that needed to exert a physiological effect, with the exception of gum arabic in Slim Fast.
The research, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition , recruited 34 normal female subjects (average age 21.3) in Nagasaki, Japan.
The minimum dose of maltitol and lactirol to induce diarrhoea for each woman was first established by administering doses ranging from ten to 45 grams.
Once the minimal level was known, this was administered along with five or ten grams of partially hydrolysed guar gum (PHGG).
The PHGG was provided by Taiyo Kagaku and characterised as having a molecular weight of about 20 000.
Partial hydrolysis was achieved using enzymatic decomposition.
Lead researcher S. Nakamura from Siebold University of Nagasaki, and collaborators from Nagasaki University, report that maltitol ingestion caused diarrhoea in 85.3 per cent of the women, while lactitol ingestion caused diarrhoea in all the women.
Diarrhoea is a common condition that causes an average of 2.4 million doctor's visits in the US each year.
Children younger than the age of five and the elderly can develop severe health problems if their condition leads to dehydration.
Nakamura and co-workers report that simultaneous consumption of PHGG (5 grams) suppressed maltitol-induced diarrhoea by 36 per cent, and by a similar value when induced by lactitol.
When the PHGG dose was increased to 10 grams, 82 per cent of maltitol-induced diarrhoea was suppressed.
"In the present study, we have tried to compare the osmotic pressure and viscosity among the solution of maltitol or lactitol alone and the mixture of PHGG and maltitol or lactitol, that were used in the experiments," wrote Nakamura.
"However, we could not conclude that the suppressive effect on diarrhoea depends on the change of osmotic pressure or viscosity."
"Hence, the factors involved in suppressing the diarrhoea may be composite, and more investigation will be required.
Furthermore, with regard to the application of the PHGG to the production of processed foods, the optimal dose of PHGG that should be added to sugar alcohol has to be estimated in the near future."
Guar gum, a water-soluble dietary fibre, is obtained from the seeds of the guar plant found on the Indian sub-continent and the US.
Because of its high viscosity, the gum can be hydrolysed so that it can be used in quantities that infer a physiological effect, and is widely used in this form in beverages.
Source: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition Volume 61, Pages1086-1093 "Suppressive effect of partially hydrolyzed guar gum on transitory diarrhea induced by ingestion of maltitol and lactitol in healthy humans" Authors: S. Nakamura, R. Hongo, K. Moji and T. Oku