What You Need to Know about Nutrient Agar and Its Health Benefits

Agar is a plant nutrient and people take it as a medication to lose excess weight, especially in countries like Japan. In Japan, it’s known as Kanten and one of the key constituents as far as the Kanten diet plan is concerned. Besides, agar is also used for the treatment of constipation and diabetes. Did you know that in the field of dentistry, the plant-based nutrient is used in making dental impressions too? Today, diabetes is an ailment, affecting people in all countries.

Besides agar being used as a medication, there are many ways to prevent Type 2 Diabetes. According to an article published on https://www.huffpost.com, people, who are overweight, have problems with insulin production and therefore, the more you lose excess fat, less are the possibilities of developing diabetes. Read on to learn more about agar.

Effectiveness of agar for treating health conditions and ailments

Diabetes: Using a product having agar gel also called slim Kanten orally every day while following the typical Japanese diet for approximately 12 weeks or so will not make your pre-meal blood sugar levels or resistance to insulin that better. The improvement isn’t that pronounced in obese individuals plagued with Type 2 diabetes. Neither it’s that effective for people on a Japanese diet alone. Then, that does not mean agar does have any health benefits. You can use the nutrient agar to reduce body weight as well as body mass index (BMI) to prevent diabetes.

Obesity: Take agar orally daily if you want to lose weight as well as control weight and BMI. Then, as mentioned earlier, avoid following the Kanten diet plan solely if you have diabetes and damaged glucose tolerance.

The bulking effect of agar is also beneficial when it comes to weight loss, making you feel full. This way, you have fewer cravings and reduce weight. Additional scientific research is necessary to corroborate this theory.

Jaundice in newborns: Several studies indicate that administering agar orally for five days does not help in reducing bilirubin levels in newborns with jaundice. Then, when agar is given orally together with some light therapy, the plant-based nutrient helps in increasing the bilirubin-reducing effects in infants. It also helps in minimizing the time required for light therapy in newborns.

Constipation: The nutrient comes with a gel-like material that adds up in the human gut and the substance arouses the intestines, stimulating the movement of bowels. That is the reason why agar is often used as a laxative to treat constipation.

Safety precautions

If you are using agar after consulting a doctor, you need to take some safety measures. These are:

Infants: Agar is safe for newborns if you administer it as a medicine by mouth and for a short while. Then, always consult with a pediatrician.

Pregnant women: There is not much research on agar use for pregnant mothers or those who are breastfeeding their little ones. Therefore, avoid use. Play safe.

A problem in swallowing: Agar tends to swell and block the esophagus if you do not drink sufficient water. Therefore, consult with a medical expert if you have issues with swallowing.

Conclusion

The use of agar depends on a person’s health, age, and other factors. Talk with your physician before taking this plant nutrient.