BACKGROUND: Viscous soluble dietary fiber has been demonstrated to reduce postprandial glycemia and may promote satiety. PolyGlycopleX® (PGX®) is a highly viscous polysaccharide manufactured by reacting glucomannan with other soluble polysaccharides using a proprietary process (EnviroSimplex®). The resulting polysaccharide (α-Dglucurono-α-D-manno-β-D-manno-β-D-glucan, α-Lglucurono-β-D-mannuronate, β-D-gluco-β-D-mannan, α-D-glucurono-α-D-manno-β-D-manno-β-D-gluco, α-Lglucurono-β-D-mannuronic, β-D-gluco-β-D-mannan) is a novel entity with the highest viscosity and water-holding capacity of currently known fibers. MATERIALS & METHODS: A total of 29 sedentary overweight or obese adults (23 women; six men), ages 20-65 with a body mass index (BMI) range of 25 kg/m2 to 36 kg/m2 participated in a clinical weight-loss program. PGX (5 g) was consumed with 500 mL water, 5-10 minutes before each meal, 2-3 times daily for 14 weeks. RESULTS: Significant reductions were observed (p<0.05) in weight (-5.79 ± 3.55 kg), waist circumference (-12.07 ± 5.56 cm), and percentage body fat (-2.43 ± 2.39%) compared to baseline values. In addition, subjects employing PGX had a significant reduction of 19.26 percent (n=17; p<0.05) and 25.51 percent (n=16; p<0.05) in total and LDL plasma cholesterol values, respectively, at the end of the study period. CONCLUSION: The consumption of PGX in concert with lifestyle modifications may be a useful strategy for weight loss in overweight and obese individuals. (Altern Med Rev 2010;15(1):68-75)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/6"][vc_btn title="Download PDF" color="primary" link="url:%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F02%2Fv15-1-68.pdf|title:Download%20PDF|target:%20_blank|" el_class="resource-download"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
