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Food Additives & Ingredients · Gums & Thickeners

Locust Bean Gum: What It Is, Is It Bad for You & Side Effects

What locust bean gum is, where it comes from, what the studies in adults and babies show, and how to read the labels it turns up on with a simple five-ingredient guideline.

By Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS·19-min read
Meet the Medical Advisory Board
Evidence-based44 sources citedUpdated October 9, 2026
Published Oct 6, 2026Last updated Oct 9, 2026Editorial policyMedical review policyFact-checking policy
Locust bean gum powder in a round ceramic dish
Locust bean gum is a fine, off-white powder milled from the seeds of the carob tree.
The Dr. Axe Score™
3.2/10
Overall Dr. Axe Score · Locust Bean Gum

Locust bean gum scores 3.2: a purified seed fiber with almost no vitamins, minerals or protective plant compounds, backed by a long safety record and a set of small human studies, most of them in babies.

Scientific Evidence
6.2/10
Human studies of the gum itself, most in formula-fed babies, plus a full set of animal safety studies.
Antioxidant & Anti-Inflammatory
1.2/10
A purified seed fiber; carob's protective plant compounds are concentrated in the pod.
Clinical Effectiveness
3.2/10
A texture tool in food; its main medical use is thickened formula for babies who spit up often.
Nutrient Density
1.0/10
It counts as dietary fiber, but a serving holds well under a gram and almost no vitamins or minerals.
Why this score?
Why Locust Bean Gum scores 3.2 / 10

    Weighting: Evidence 30% · Antioxidant & Anti-Inflammatory 25% · Clinical Effectiveness 25% · Nutrient Density 20% (6.2×0.30 + 1.2×0.25 + 3.2×0.25 + 1.0×0.20 = 3.16, shown as 3.2).

    A transparent, weighted index built for foods. See how it’s calculated →
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    Locust bean gum at a glance

    Locust bean gum is a thickener milled from the seeds of the carob tree, used in small amounts to give ice cream, yogurt, cream cheese and baked goods their body.12

    • Where it stands: a "limit" ingredient. It counts toward my five-ingredient guideline, and it usually signals a processed food.3
    • Safety: regulators set no numerical daily limit for the general population.41
    • Nutrition: it counts as dietary fiber on a U.S. label, but a 100-gram scoop of ice cream holds half a gram at most, with almost no vitamins or minerals.526
    • In people: in a 1983 study of 28 adults and children, not randomized, foods made with 8 to 30 grams a day lowered LDL cholesterol by 6% to 19%, and in a Cochrane review of thickened feeds, formula-fed babies had about two fewer spit-ups a day.78
    • Better choices: ice cream, yogurt and cream cheese with the shortest labels, and simple whole-food frozen treats made at home.

    Locust bean gum is an off-white powder milled from the seeds of the carob tree, and it's what gives many store-bought ice creams their smooth, even body. It swells in cold water, dissolves fully once it's heated, and at a few percent of a liquid's weight it thickens until it looks like a gel, so food makers need only a fraction of that, usually 0.2% to 0.5%.1

    Besides ice cream, you'll find it on the labels of yogurt, cream cheese, snack cakes and dips.9 Inside those foods it holds water, shapes how ice crystals form and keeps cream and liquid from separating, which helps a manufactured food keep its texture through a long shelf life.1 So seeing it usually tells you you're holding a processed product. That matters for the simple rule I give for packaged foods: every ingredient on the label counts, and locust bean gum is one of them.3

    A good guideline is to buy food with at most five ingredients.Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNSFrom The Biblio Diet (2025), ebook p. 43
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    What is locust bean gum?

    Quick answer

    Locust bean gum is a thickener made from the ground inner part of carob seeds. It's mostly a carbohydrate called galactomannan, a chain built from two sugars, mannose and galactose, and you'll see it on labels as locust bean gum, carob bean gum or, in Europe, E 410.12

    The carob tree, Ceratonia siliqua, is an evergreen in the legume family, native to the Mediterranean basin.10 U.S. regulations call it the locust, or carob, bean tree.2 Its long brown pods hold a sweet pulp, about half sugar by dry weight, along with hard seeds. Ground carob pod is the part used as a cocoa substitute in chocolate-style foods, and the gum comes from the seeds.10

    To make the gum, processors strip the seed coat with dilute acid or with heat and mechanical treatment, remove the germ, then mill and screen the white inner endosperm into powder. Some batches are washed with alcohol to control microbes, and a purer "clarified" form has most of the protein filtered out.1 What's left is 87% to 88% galactomannan by dry weight, with mannose and galactose in a ratio of about 4 to 1, plus some protein and fiber from the germ and seed coat.1 Older names for it include carob gum and St. John's bread.1

    Does locust bean gum have any nutrition?

    Almost none at the amounts in food. USDA keeps no record for locust bean gum alone; its closest record covers seed gums, locust bean and guar combined, and lists 77.3 grams of fiber per 100 grams with no vitamins, iron or zinc.6 Locust bean gum counts as dietary fiber on a U.S. Nutrition Facts label, because the FDA lists it among the isolated fibers that qualify.5 U.S. rules cap it at 0.5% of most foods, ice cream among them, so a 100-gram scoop holds half a gram at most. The caps run from 0.15% in baked goods to 0.8% in cheeses.2

    A short history of locust bean gum

    Carob has served as food and animal feed around the Mediterranean for centuries.10 The gum is a much newer use. U.S. regulators listed it as a food ingredient generally recognized as safe in 1977,2 the World Health Organization's expert committee on food additives set no numerical daily limit for it in 1981,4 and European reviewers re-evaluated it in 2017 and again in 2023, the second time for foods made for young babies.111

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    Is locust bean gum bad for you?

    Quick answer

    In the small amounts used in food, locust bean gum hasn't shown harm, but it's a "limit" ingredient. U.S. and European regulators allow it, the World Health Organization's expert committee set no numerical daily limit, and it isn't on my list of additives to avoid. It still counts toward my five-ingredient guideline, and it usually signals a processed product.2413

    Locust bean gum's safety has been reviewed by U.S., international and European regulators. U.S. rules allow it as a stabilizer and thickener within the limits above.2 The WHO's expert committee listed its acceptable daily intake as "not specified," meaning it saw no need for a number.4 When European reviewers looked again in 2017, they agreed there was no need for a numerical daily limit and found no safety concern for the general population at what people eat today.1 In locust bean gum's own two-year feeding studies, groups of 50 male and 50 female rats and mice ate it at 2.5% or 5% of their diet for 103 weeks, and none developed cancer or tissue damage from it.12

    The additives I tell you to avoid are preservatives such as sodium nitrite and BHT, emulsifiers such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and polysorbate 80 (P80), phosphate additives, potassium bromate, flavor enhancers such as MSG, and artificial flavors.3 Locust bean gum isn't on that list.

    When I wrote about plant-based milks, I said this: "Many are filled with sugar, thickeners, and gums, some of which cause cancer in lab rats."3 The simplest way to eat fewer gums, locust bean gum included, is to fill your cart with more foods that have short labels.

    What happens when you eat locust bean gum?

    The diagram below follows the gum from carob seed to colon, with the lab findings labeled.

    1Milled from carob seeds.

    The seeds are dehusked, the germ is removed, and the inner endosperm is milled into a white to yellowish-white, nearly odorless powder that's mostly galactomannan.12

    2Heat makes it thicken.

    It swells in cold water but needs heat to dissolve fully, and the result holds its thickness across a wide range of acidity, from about pH 3 to 11.1

    3It slows the stomach.

    In 15 healthy adults who each ate three versions of a rice pudding, adding 6 grams of a locust bean gum powder lowered the median stomach-emptying rate to 54% from 63%. In an ultrasound study of 39 babies who spit up often, formula thickened at 4.5 grams per liter had a median emptying rate at 2 hours of 52.8%, against 97.9% for plain formula; at 3.5 grams per liter, emptying (80.3%) didn't differ significantly from plain formula.1314

    4It isn't digested.

    Human digestive enzymes can't break it down, so it isn't absorbed intact; European reviewers based this on lab and animal data.1

    5Gut bacteria ferment it (lab studies).

    In the colon, bacteria ferment much of it, and lab studies with human stool bacteria show it turning into short-chain fatty acids, as the benefits section below explains.115

    6It softens stool.

    In an early study in people, X-rays and stool exams showed its gel mixing through the stool in the colon, leaving stools soft and only slightly heavier.1

    Does locust bean gum have any health benefits?

    Four effects have been studied: fewer spit-ups in formula-fed babies, lower cholesterol and a smaller blood-sugar rise in adults, and fermentation by gut bacteria in the lab.

    Where the research stands

    Studies of locust bean gum itself in people fall into two groups. In adults, the seven studies on this page enrolled 8 to 28 people each and used 6 to 30 grams a day or in a single meal, more than European reviewers estimate adults get from packaged foods, about 2.5 to 4.8 grams a day for a 154-pound adult. In babies, trials of thickened formula enrolled 14 to 166 babies, and a 2017 Cochrane review pooled the trials of thickened feeds. The rest is regulatory animal testing and lab work.18

    1

    Fewer spit-ups in formula-fed babies

    Moderate evidenceHuman studyTrials of thickened formula · 2017 Cochrane review of 8 trials, 637 babies

    In babies who spit up often, formula thickened with locust bean gum cut spit-up episodes in several trials, and a 2017 Cochrane review of thickened feeds of all kinds found about two fewer spit-ups a day across 6 trials and 442 babies.168 It's a medical use, covered in full in the baby formula section below.

    2

    Lower LDL cholesterol

    Emerging evidenceHuman studyTwo feeding studies · 28 adults and children, not randomized; 12 men

    In a 1983 study, 17 adults and 11 children, 18 of them with inherited high cholesterol and 10 with normal levels, ate identical foods with and without locust bean gum in turn, at 8 to 30 grams a day. They weren't randomized; the researchers split them into two groups. In the two groups, LDL cholesterol fell 11% and 19% in people with inherited high cholesterol, and 10% and 6% in people with normal cholesterol, and total cholesterol fell 6% to 17%. The children with inherited high cholesterol improved in both groups, and the foods were well accepted.7

    In a 1984 study, 12 men ate a controlled diet for 20 weeks, with four refined fibers added in turn for 4 weeks each. After the weeks with locust bean gum, their total and LDL cholesterol were significantly lower than on the diet alone, with no change in HDL cholesterol or triglycerides.17

    LDL fell 6% to 19% on foods made with locust bean gum

    LDL fell 6% to 19% on foods made with locust bean gum28 adults and children · 8 to 30 g a day in study foods · not randomized. Inherited high cholesterol, second group: 19 % LDL drop; Inherited high cholesterol, first group: 11 % LDL drop; Normal cholesterol, first group: 10 % LDL drop; Normal cholesterol, second group: 6 % LDL drop28 adults and children · 8 to 30 g a day in study foods ·not randomizedInherited highcholesterol,second group19 % LDL dropInherited highcholesterol,first group11 % LDL dropNormalcholesterol,first group10 % LDL dropNormalcholesterol,second group6 % LDL drop
    Source: Zavoral et al. · American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1983 [7]Each person ate the same foods with and without the gum, in turn.
    3

    A smaller blood-sugar rise after a meal

    Mixed evidenceHuman studyThree meal and diet studies · adults with type 2 diabetes and healthy men

    In a 1995 study of 14 adults with type 2 diabetes, who ate test meals in random order a week or more apart, 9 ate a fried flatbread made with 15 grams of locust bean gum. In those 9 it had a glycemic index of 31, against 71 for the same bread without added fiber in all 14. Their average total rise in blood sugar over 3 hours was less than half the average after the bread without added fiber. In the people with a BMI over 30, the gum didn't significantly change the blood-sugar response, though their insulin response fell.18

    Two other studies found no significant change. In a breakfast study of 13 adults with type 2 diabetes, 10 grams of the dry powder sprinkled over breakfast left the rise in blood sugar an hour later at 5.0 mmol/L (about 90 mg/dL), against 5.9 (about 106 mg/dL) without it, and the study couldn't rule out chance for that gap.19 In the 12 men from the 1984 cholesterol study, blood sugar and insulin after a standard glucose tolerance test showed no significant difference across the five diets, including the locust bean gum weeks, with added fiber averaging 19.5 grams a day.20 The positive result came from gum kneaded into the dough of the bread itself; in the breakfast study, the dry powder tended to form lumps.1819

    4

    Gut bacteria and short-chain fatty acids

    Mixed evidenceIn vitro (lab)Lab studies with human stool bacteria

    Short-chain fatty acids are compounds your gut bacteria make when they ferment fiber. In a 2026 lab study using stool bacteria from 10 donors, locust bean gum produced a balanced mix of short-chain fatty acids and enriched the same group of potentially beneficial bacteria, Parabacteroides, across donors.15 In a 2025 lab fermentation, it raised propionic acid and the share of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, two groups used as probiotics.21

    A 2021 lab model built from one healthy person's gut bacteria found a less favorable change. At 0.1% of the culture, locust bean gum shifted the bacteria and raised flagellin, a bacterial protein that can provoke inflammation, as did several carrageenans and other gums, and the effect faded once the gum was removed.22

    Why is locust bean gum in some baby formulas?

    Quick answer

    Locust bean gum thickens anti-regurgitation formulas, made for formula-fed babies who spit up often, and in trials these formulas cut spit-up. European rules keep it out of standard infant formula for healthy babies and allow it in special reflux formulas used under medical supervision; regulators found low risk at the amounts used in trials and couldn't rule out a risk at the highest amount the rules allow.181123

    Breast milk comes first. As I've said on my show, "It's the greatest superfood of all time, and it supports natural immunization."44 Spitting up is common in babies, and the Cochrane reviewers describe infant reflux as a normal process that usually resolves on its own. For formula-fed babies who keep spitting up, thickened formula is one option, and four of the trials in that review used formula thickened with carob bean gum.8 The idea is that a thicker feed is harder to bring back up, and at 4.5 grams per liter, as the step-by-step diagram earlier on this page shows, it also leaves the stomach more slowly.

    In a randomized, placebo-controlled study, 14 babies about 6 weeks old on average, who spit up repeatedly but were otherwise well, were fed thickened and unthickened versions of the same formula in turn, six feeds in all, while sensors in the esophagus recorded every reflux episode across 342 hours of monitoring. They spit up 15 times after the thickened feeds and 68 times after the plain ones, and the amount was smaller too. Acid reflux and the length of reflux episodes didn't change.16

    Babies spat up 15 times on thickened feeds vs. 68 on plain

    Babies spat up 15 times on thickened feeds vs. 68 on plain14 babies · thickened and plain feeds in turn · 342 hours monitored. Formula thickened with carob bean gum: 15 spit-up episodes; Same formula, unthickened: 68 spit-up episodes14 babies · thickened and plain feeds in turn · 342 hoursmonitored15FORMULATHICKENED WITHCAROB BEAN GUM68SAME FORMULA,UNTHICKENEDspit-up episodes
    Source: Wenzl et al. · Pediatrics, 2003 [16]The thickened feeds cut how often milk came back up.

    A Japanese pediatric team found the same pattern. In 30 babies with daily spit-up, 27 of whom finished, each fed thickened and plain formula for a week at a time in random order, formulas with 4.5 and 3.5 grams of locust bean gum per liter both cut spit-up episodes by about 50%. The mothers of 5 babies on the thicker formula said their babies had trouble sucking it through the nipple, and none on the lighter one did.24 In 20 babies younger than 2 months, also fed both formulas for a week each, spit-ups fell to a median of 2.3 a day on thickened formula from 5.2 on plain formula, with no difference in weight gain.25

    A 2017 Cochrane review pooled the trials of thickened feeds of all kinds. Formula-fed babies on thickened feeds had about two fewer spit-ups a day (6 studies, 442 babies; moderate-certainty evidence), were 2.5 times as likely to stop spitting up by the end of the study (2 studies, 186 babies; low certainty) and spent less time with acid in the esophagus on probe tests (2 studies, 116 babies; low certainty), with no major side effects reported. The reviewers concluded that thickeners should be considered when spit-up persists in full-term, bottle-fed babies. They couldn't say which thickener works best, and they couldn't assess breastfed or premature babies.8

    In a study of 166 bottle-fed babies under 4 months at six pediatric centers, spit-up scores after 4 and 8 weeks were the same on a locust bean gum formula as on standard formula, and 14 of the 82 babies on the thickened formula stopped it in the first 2 weeks because of diarrhea.261 In a 2024 randomized trial of 103 full-term babies, 93 of whom finished, a formula with 4 grams of the gum per liter didn't make stools looser than an unthickened formula over 8 weeks, and spit-up ran an estimated 0.55 to 0.80 episodes a day lower at every visit. Both formulas contained added prebiotics, twice as much in the unthickened one, and the same postbiotics; a formula maker funded the trial, and three of its authors worked there.27

    European advisers treat babies as a special case. In 2003, they advised against locust bean gum in standard infant formula for healthy babies, kept a limit of 1 gram per liter in follow-on formula for older babies, and accepted up to 10 grams per liter in special formulas for babies with reflux, used under medical supervision.1 In 2017, European reviewers said the available data didn't allow a proper safety assessment of those special formulas.1 Their 2023 follow-up, which took its safety reference point from lower blood zinc levels in a study of newborn piglets submitted by industry, found no safety concern at the typical amounts in these formulas for babies under 16 weeks old, but couldn't rule one out at the highest amounts permitted or reported.11 In 2025, the WHO's expert committee judged the risk low at 1 and 6 grams per liter of formula, saw a potential risk at 10 grams per liter, and found no concern for babies' gut bacteria.23 The trials above that reported their amount used 3.5 to 4.5 grams per liter. Premature babies are a separate case, covered in the side effects section below.

    What foods contain locust bean gum, and how do you choose?

    Quick answer

    Locust bean gum shows up most in ice cream and frozen yogurt, then yogurt, snack cakes and cheese, including cream cheese.9 The best choice is the shortest label: ice cream made from cream, milk, sugar and flavor, plain yogurt, and cream cheese with only a few ingredients.

    As of October 5, 2026, a search of USDA's branded food database for locust bean gum returns 12,707 packaged foods. Sorted by category, 4,422 of the foods whose ingredient lists name it are ice cream or frozen yogurt, 1,336 are yogurt, 1,103 are cakes, cupcakes and snack cakes, and 967 are cheese. A search for its other label name, carob bean gum, returns 7,130 records, and the two lists can overlap.9 It also thickens sauces and drinks and turns up in baked goods and processed meats.1

    4,422 of the packaged foods that list it are ice cream or frozen yogurt

    4,422 of the packaged foods that list it are ice cream or frozen yogurt12,707 branded foods in USDA FoodData Central · searched October 5, 2026. Ice cream and frozen yogurt: 4422 foods; Yogurt: 1336 foods; Cakes, cupcakes and snack cakes: 1103 foods; Cheese: 967 foods12,707 branded foods in USDA FoodData Central · searchedOctober 5, 2026Ice cream andfrozen yogurt4422 foodsYogurt1336 foodsCakes, cupcakesand snack cakes1103 foodsCheese967 foods
    Source: USDA FoodData Central · Branded Foods [9]The four largest categories among packaged foods whose ingredient lists include locust bean gum.

    Ice cream. Vanilla ice cream labels run from five ingredients to more than a dozen. Three in USDA's branded database:

    Vanilla ice cream labelIngredientsHow it fits

    Short label, no gum

    Cream, skim milk, cane sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract28

    Five ingredients, none of them added for texture

    Short label with the gum

    Milk, cream, sugar, locust bean gum, vanilla extract29

    Five ingredients, and locust bean gum counts as one

    Long label

    Milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, nonfat milk, high fructose corn syrup, whey, vanilla extract, mono and diglycerides, guar gum, locust bean gum, polysorbate 80, carrageenan, annatto30

    Fourteen ingredients, and polysorbate 80 is on my list of additives to avoid

    All three are sweetened with sugar, and added sugar is one of my Sinister Six, the six things I tell you to cut first.3 Even cane sugar is still sugar with very few nutrients, so keep any of these an occasional treat, and when you sweeten at home, honey is the far better choice, used sparingly.

    You can also skip the carton. When I make ice cream for my girls, I do a banana with chocolate, collagen powder, chocolate protein powder and coconut milk.31 This banana ice cream recipe starts from the same fruit.

    Yogurt and cream cheese. Plain yogurt and cream cheese follow the same rule: compare labels and pick the one with the fewest ingredients. A plain yogurt or kefir that lists only milk and live cultures has no thickener at all.

    Organic products. U.S. organic rules allow locust bean gum in foods labeled organic, and when an organic form isn't commercially available, a nonorganic, water-extracted one may be used.32 Either way, it's still one of the ingredients you count.

    Have a question about a dessert label?

    Ask Dr. Axe AI about locust bean gum, an ice cream label or a homemade swap, and get a clear answer. Answers are grounded in this library, with sources shown.

    What are the side effects of locust bean gum, and who should be careful?

    Quick answer

    At the amounts in food, adults in studies haven't had side effects from locust bean gum; the cautions are for babies, especially premature babies, and for the rare person who's allergic to it. Taken as a dry powder, large amounts caused abdominal discomfort in one study.119

    Digestion. The 28 adults and children in the 1983 cholesterol study ate 8 to 30 grams a day for about 8 weeks with no significant side effects.71 Eaten as a dry powder, it was harder to take: in the breakfast study of 13 adults with type 2 diabetes, 10 grams sprinkled over the meal formed lumps and caused abdominal discomfort and unusual fullness.19

    Minerals. Two studies looked at mineral absorption. In a 4-week balance study of 8 healthy young adults, adding 9.5 grams of the gum per 1,000 calories to their meals for 2 weeks lowered how much calcium, iron and zinc they absorbed, while copper didn't change.33 In a controlled-diet study of 11 men eating 7.5 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories from each of four refined fibers, including locust bean gum, for 4 weeks each, mineral balance didn't change significantly for calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper or zinc.34

    Allergy. Allergic reactions are rare. Post-marketing reports that the industry gave European reviewers showed no serious adverse events among more than 50 million units of these infant formulas sold, apart from a single allergic reaction.11 Several documented cases come from breathing the powder at work. A cheesemaker developed sinus allergy that progressed to severe asthma over 16 years before locust bean gum was identified as the cause,35 and a case of work-related nasal allergy showed cross-reactivity with legumes and nuts.36 Reactions from eating it are documented in single cases: hives and swelling after a dessert containing it,37 recurrent vomiting, hives and flushing in a 5-month-old baby on a thickened formula,381 and food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), a delayed gut reaction, in another baby.39 European reviewers suggested leftover seed protein may be the trigger and recommended reducing it.1 For children with peanut allergy, one study tested carob directly: in a placebo-controlled food challenge of 12 peanut-allergic children, none reacted to raw or cooked carob preparations, although 6 tested positive to raw carob bean on a skin test.40

    Babies. European reviewers noted reports of diarrhea, frequent loose stools and gas in babies fed these formulas.1 In case reports, premature babies have had more serious problems. In one, six premature babies fed formula with 2 to 5 grams of the gum per liter had more frequent stools, too much acid in the blood and low potassium for as long as they stayed on it.1 In another, two extremely premature babies fed milk thickened with locust bean gum died of necrotizing enterocolitis, a serious bowel disease; no autopsy was done, so the gum wasn't proven to be the cause.141 A 2026 review of the records of 26 premature babies in a neonatal unit, with no comparison group, found that by day 7 on a locust bean gum formula, 96.2% had soft or normal stools, and the share with rare or no drops in oxygen rose from 61.5% to 96.2%.42

    Thyroid medication in babies. In one documented case, a baby girl with congenital hypothyroidism had worsening thyroid tests after starting a carob bean gum formula, even after her levothyroxine dose was raised. Within 14 days of stopping the formula her levels recovered, and her dose could be lowered. The authors recommended more frequent thyroid checks for babies on such formulas.43

    Good to know before you buy or use it

    • Babies: use a thickened formula only under medical supervision, as the European rules for these special formulas require; for a premature baby, that means the neonatal team1

    • Allergy: stop eating foods that contain it at any itching, hives, swelling or wheezing, and treat trouble breathing or swelling of the tongue or throat as an emergency

    • Thickening powders: mix them with plenty of liquid; European reviewers asked for that instruction on consumer powders because similar gums swallowed as granules or pills without enough liquid have blocked the esophagus1

    • IBS or a sensitive gut: no study has tested locust bean gum in people with IBS, so watch how you feel after gum-thickened desserts and lean toward short labels

    The bottom line

    Should you avoid locust bean gum?

    Limit it. Locust bean gum is a fiber milled from carob seeds that adds almost no nutrition at the amounts in food, and it usually marks a processed product. It also counts as one of the five ingredients in my guideline for packaged food. In those small amounts, it hasn't shown harm, and for formula-fed babies who spit up often, thickened formula has a real medical use under supervision.

    The best moves are simple: choose ice cream, yogurt and cream cheese with the shortest labels, and make frozen treats at home from banana, coconut milk and other whole foods. Your body was designed to heal, and it does its best work on food you'd recognize from your own kitchen.

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    Locust bean gum: frequently asked questions

    What is locust bean gum made of?

    Locust bean gum is the ground endosperm, the inner part, of carob tree seeds. It's 87% to 88% galactomannan by dry weight, a chain of mannose and galactose sugars, with a little protein and fiber left from the seed's germ and coat.1

    Is locust bean gum the same as carob?

    No. Carob powder, used as a cocoa substitute, comes from the sweet pod, which is about half sugar by dry weight, while locust bean gum is a nearly odorless thickener milled from the seeds inside the pod.101

    Is locust bean gum bad for you?

    In the small amounts used in food, locust bean gum hasn't shown harm: regulators allow it, and two-year feeding studies in rats and mice found no cancers or tissue damage from it. It's still a "limit" ingredient, because it counts toward my five-ingredient guideline and usually marks a processed product.1123

    How much locust bean gum is safe per day?

    There's no official daily limit, because international and European reviewers found no need for a numerical one. European reviewers estimated that adults who stick with the same brands get, on average, 35.7 to 68.8 mg per kilogram of body weight a day from packaged foods, about 2.5 to 4.8 grams for a 154-pound adult, and people in a 1983 study of 28 adults and children, not randomized, ate 8 to 30 grams a day in study foods without significant side effects.417

    What are the side effects of locust bean gum?

    At the amounts in food, adults in studies haven't had side effects from it; a large dose taken as a dry powder caused abdominal discomfort and fullness in one study. Babies on thickened formula have had diarrhea, loose stools and gas, premature babies have had more serious problems in case reports, and allergic reactions are rare. The side effects section covers each one.191

    Is locust bean gum safe for babies?

    Regulators accept it in anti-reflux formulas for formula-fed babies who spit up often, used under medical supervision, and the WHO's expert committee judged the risk low at the amounts used in trials. European rules keep it out of standard infant formula for healthy babies, and premature babies have had serious bowel problems in case reports, so its use in them is a medical decision.123

    Why is locust bean gum in ice cream and cream cheese?

    It holds water, shapes how ice crystals form and keeps cream and liquid from separating, so a small amount keeps a manufactured food smooth through a long shelf life. To skip it, choose ice cream, yogurt and cream cheese with the shortest ingredient lists.1

    Does locust bean gum lower cholesterol?

    In two studies, yes: in a 1983 study of 28 adults and children, not randomized, foods made with 8 to 30 grams a day lowered LDL cholesterol by 6% to 19%, and in a 1984 controlled-diet study of 12 men it lowered total and LDL cholesterol with no change in HDL.717

    Does locust bean gum lower blood sugar?

    In one study, yes: in a meal study of adults with type 2 diabetes, a flatbread made with 15 grams of the gum had a glycemic index of 31 in the 9 who ate it, against 71 for the same bread without added fiber in all 14. A breakfast study of 13 adults and a diet study of 12 men found no significant change in blood sugar.181920

    Is locust bean gum bad for your gut?

    No study in adults has shown it harming the gut, and the 28 adults and children in the 1983 cholesterol study ate 8 to 30 grams a day for about 8 weeks without significant side effects. In lab studies, gut bacteria ferment it into short-chain fatty acids, though one lab model built from a single person's gut bacteria found it raised flagellin, a bacterial protein that can provoke inflammation.711522

    Is locust bean gum a prebiotic?

    Lab studies suggest it can feed gut bacteria, but it hasn't been shown to work as a prebiotic in people. In lab fermentations with human stool bacteria, it produced short-chain fatty acids and raised Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus.1521

    Can you be allergic to locust bean gum?

    Yes, though it's rare. Documented case reports include asthma and nasal allergy in people who breathed the powder at work, and single cases of hives, swelling or vomiting after eating it, including a baby on thickened formula.35363738

    Is locust bean gum gluten-free?

    Locust bean gum contains no gluten itself, since it's milled from carob seeds rather than wheat, barley or rye. If you have celiac disease, check the whole product for a gluten-free label.1

    Is locust bean gum vegan, halal and kosher?

    It's vegan, since it comes from a plant seed. Halal and kosher certification applies to each product, so look for the mark on the label.1

    Locust bean gum vs. guar gum: what's the difference?

    Both are galactomannans milled from legume seeds, locust bean gum from the carob tree and guar gum from the guar, or cluster, bean. Guar carries more galactose along its chain, which makes it dissolve more easily in water, and both count as dietary fiber on a U.S. label.1185

    Is organic locust bean gum better?

    Yes, when you can get it: my advice is to buy organic when possible, though organic locust bean gum still counts as one of your five ingredients.3 U.S. organic rules allow locust bean gum in organic foods, using a nonorganic, water-extracted form only when an organic one isn't commercially available.32

    Freshness & update log

    What changed in this update (October 9, 2026) — Trimmed repeated book references.

    What changed in this update (October 6, 2026) — Matched Dr. Axe's quotes to his own words, with their sources.

    What changed in this update (October 5, 2026) — Rewrote the page under Dr. Josh Axe's byline around his five-ingredient guideline; added the Dr. Axe Score with its calculation (Evidence 30% · Antioxidant & Anti-Inflammatory 25% · Clinical Effectiveness 25% · Nutrient Density 20%); added the human studies of locust bean gum itself with their designs and numbers, in adults (cholesterol, blood sugar, stomach emptying, minerals) and in formula-fed babies (the 2017 Cochrane review and newer trials), the 2017 and 2023 European reviews, and the WHO expert committee's 2025 evaluation of its use in infant formula; added a step-by-step diagram, charts of the 1983 cholesterol study, an infant spit-up study and the foods that list it in USDA's database, and a comparison of three vanilla ice cream labels; described the 1983 cholesterol study as the non-randomized study it was; replaced "Treats GERD" with what the infant studies measured, fewer spit-ups, with acid reflux unchanged in one study; removed the diarrhea benefit, which came from a study of carob pod juice rather than the gum, the colon cancer benefit, which had no study of the gum behind it, an animal blood-sugar study that couldn't be located, the "chocolaty flavor" claim, the statement that it's toxic to some pregnant animals (European reviewers found no reproductive or developmental concern), and the unsourced 4000 B.C. and mummification history; relabeled the nutrition numbers as USDA's record for seed gums, which combines locust bean and guar gums; added the human study that found no change in mineral balance beside the one that found lower absorption; and replaced the home recipes with short-label choices.

    References

    1. EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS), Mortensen A, Aguilar F, Crebelli R, Di Domenico A, Frutos MJ, et al. Re-evaluation of locust bean gum (E 410) as a food additive. EFSA J. 2017;15(1):e04646. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4646. PMID:32625248
    2. US Food and Drug Administration. Locust (carob) bean gum. 21 CFR 184.1343 (42 FR 14653, Mar. 15, 1977, as amended). Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, accessed 2026-10-05.
    3. Axe J, Rubin J. The Biblio Diet. Hachette Book Group; 2025. ISBN 9781546008439. Chapter 4, "The Sinister Six," section "Read Labels: Additives to Avoid" (additive list; five-ingredient guideline, the note under the list, ebook p. 43); milk-and-honey chapter (plant-based milk passage, ebook p. 68); seven-day jump-start shopping list ("Buy organic when possible").
    4. Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Carob bean gum: evaluation record (1981, TRS 669; 2016, TRS 1000; 2025, TRS 1058). JECFA database, chemical 1158. Accessed 2026-10-05.
    5. US Food and Drug Administration. Questions and Answers on Dietary Fiber. Accessed 2026-10-05.
    6. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, SR Legacy 169045 (NDB 42281): Gums, seed gums (includes locust bean, guar). Accessed 2026-10-05.
    7. Zavoral JH, Hannan P, Fields DJ, Hanson MN, Frantz ID, Kuba K, et al. The hypolipidemic effect of locust bean gum food products in familial hypercholesterolemic adults and children. Am J Clin Nutr. 1983;38(2):285-94. doi:10.1093/ajcn/38.2.285. PMID:6308996
    8. Kwok TC, Ojha S, Dorling J. Feed thickener for infants up to six months of age with gastro-oesophageal reflux. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;12(12):CD003211. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003211.pub2. PMID:29207214
    9. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central search for "locust bean gum" (Branded Foods: 12,707 records; by food category, among records whose ingredient lists name it: 4,422 ice cream and frozen yogurt, 1,336 yogurt, 1,103 cakes, cupcakes and snack cakes, 967 cheese; a separate exact-phrase search for "carob bean gum": 7,130 records). Searched 2026-10-05.
    10. Ben Hsouna A, Kumar R, Gondwal M, Chamoli S, Singh Gautam BP, Kaur S, et al. Ceratonia siliqua: Phytochemistry, Bioactivity, and Its Emerging Role as a Sustainable Food and Industrial Resource. J Food Sci. 2026;91(10):e71527. doi:10.1111/1750-3841.71527. PMID:42816757
    11. EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF), Younes M, Aquilina G, Castle L, Degen G, Engel KH, et al. Re-evaluation of locust bean gum (E 410) as a food additive in foods for infants below 16 weeks of age and follow-up of its re-evaluation as a food additive for uses in foods for all population groups. EFSA J. 2023;21(2):e07775. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7775. PMID:36789355
    12. Melnick RL, Huff J, Haseman JK, Dieter MP, Grieshaber CK, Wyand DS, et al. Chronic effects of agar, guar gum, gum arabic, locust-bean gum, or tara gum in F344 rats and B6C3F1 mice. Food Chem Toxicol. 1983;21(3):305-11. doi:10.1016/0278-6915(83)90065-0. PMID:6683227
    13. Darwiche G, Björgell O, Almér LO. The addition of locust bean gum but not water delayed the gastric emptying rate of a nutrient semisolid meal in healthy subjects. BMC Gastroenterol. 2003;3:12. doi:10.1186/1471-230X-3-12. PMID:12793910
    14. Miyazawa R, Tomomasa T, Kaneko H, Morikawa A. Effect of formula thickened with locust bean gum on gastric emptying in infants. J Paediatr Child Health. 2006;42(12):808-12. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1754.2006.00982.x. PMID:17096718
    15. de Campos Costa MA, Zhao X, Komura D, Carbonero ER, Choque-Delgado GT, Tunçil YE, et al. New high-specificity fibers with strong and consistent responses across individuals. Food Funct. 2026;17(1):190-203. doi:10.1039/d5fo02728d. PMID:41069234
    16. Wenzl TG, Schneider S, Scheele F, Silny J, Heimann G, Skopnik H. Effects of thickened feeding on gastroesophageal reflux in infants: a placebo-controlled crossover study using intraluminal impedance. Pediatrics. 2003;111(4 Pt 1):e355-9. doi:10.1542/peds.111.4.e355. PMID:12671151
    17. Behall KM, Lee KH, Moser PB. Blood lipids and lipoproteins in adult men fed four refined fibers. Am J Clin Nutr. 1984;39(2):209-14. doi:10.1093/ajcn/39.2.209. PMID:6320627
    18. Feldman N, Norenberg C, Voet H, Manor E, Berner Y, Madar Z. Enrichment of an Israeli ethnic food with fibres and their effects on the glycaemic and insulinaemic responses in subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Br J Nutr. 1995;74(5):681-8. doi:10.1079/bjn19950171. PMID:8541274
    19. Williams DR, James WP, Evans IE. Dietary fibre supplementation of a 'normal' breakfast administered to diabetics. Diabetologia. 1980;18(5):379-83. doi:10.1007/BF00276818. PMID:6253339
    20. Behall KM. Effect of soluble fibers on plasma lipids, glucose tolerance and mineral balance. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1990;270:7-16. doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-5784-1_2. PMID:1964020
    21. Wei L, Bai J, Zhang Y, Suo H, Wang C. Comparison of in vitro fermentation characteristics of carob gum and guar gum. Int J Biol Macromol. 2025;311(Pt 2):143886. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.143886. PMID:40319966
    22. Naimi S, Viennois E, Gewirtz AT, Chassaing B. Direct impact of commonly used dietary emulsifiers on human gut microbiota. Microbiome. 2021;9(1):66. doi:10.1186/s40168-020-00996-6. PMID:33752754
    23. Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). One-hundredth meeting (Safety evaluation of certain food additives), Rome, 10–19 June 2025: Summary and conclusions (carob bean gum, use in infant formula). Issued July 4, 2025. Accessed 2026-10-05.
    24. Miyazawa R, Tomomasa T, Kaneko H, Morikawa A. Effect of locust bean gum in anti-regurgitant milk on the regurgitation in uncomplicated gastroesophageal reflux. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2004;38(5):479-83. doi:10.1097/00005176-200405000-00004. PMID:15097434
    25. Miyazawa R, Tomomasa T, Kaneko H, Arakawa H, Morikawa A. Effect of formula thickened with reduced concentration of locust bean gum on gastroesophageal reflux. Acta Paediatr. 2007;96(6):910-4. doi:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2007.00279.x. PMID:17537023
    26. Iacono G, Vetrano S, Cataldo F, Ziino O, Russo A, Lorello D, et al. Clinical trial with thickened feeding for treatment of regurgitation in infants. Dig Liver Dis. 2002;34(7):532-3. doi:10.1016/s1590-8658(02)80115-3. PMID:12236490
    27. Salvatore S, Klymenko V, Karpushenko Y, Durczak-Hilleman M, Loboda A, Petrashenko V, et al. Tolerance and Safety of an Anti-Regurgitation Formula Containing Locust Bean Gum, Pre-, and Postbiotics: A Multi-Country Multi-Center Prospective Randomized Controlled Study in Infants with Regurgitation. Nutrients. 2024;16(6):899. doi:10.3390/nu16060899. PMID:38542810
    28. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, Branded Foods: Vanilla ice cream (ingredients: cream, skim milk, cane sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract). FDC ID 2460452. Published 2023-02-16. Accessed 2026-10-05.
    29. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, Branded Foods: Vanilla ice cream (ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, locust bean gum, vanilla extract). FDC ID 1919900. Published 2021-07-29. Accessed 2026-10-05.
    30. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, Branded Foods: Vanilla ice cream (ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, nonfat milk, high fructose corn syrup, whey, vanilla extract, mono & diglycerides, guar gum, locust bean gum, polysorbate 80, carrageenan and annatto (color)). FDC ID 2503281. Published 2023-03-16. Accessed 2026-10-05.
    31. Axe J. The Cancer Protocol She Wishes She Had Known Sooner | Liana Werner-Gray. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026. Homemade ice cream for his daughters at 50:49. Episode page: draxe.com/show/the-cancer-protocol-she-wishes-she-had-known-sooner-liana-werner-gray-7235d175a1ea/
    32. US Department of Agriculture. Nonorganically produced agricultural products allowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as "organic." 7 CFR 205.606(j) ("Gums—water extracted only (Arabic; Guar; Locust bean; and Carob bean)"). Accessed 2026-10-05.
    33. Harmuth-Hoene AE, Meier-Ploeger A, Leitzmann C. Der Einfluss von Johannisbrotkernmehl auf die Resorption von Mineralstoffen und Spurenelementen beim Menschen [Effect of carob bean flour on the resorption of minerals and trace elements in man; in German]. Z Ernahrungswiss. 1982;21(3):202-13. doi:10.1007/BF02028813. PMID:7148039
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    39. Jędrzejczyk M, Bartnik K, Funkowicz M, Toporowska-Kowalska E. FPIES Induced by Locust Bean Gum in an Infant. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2020;30(3):197-199. doi:10.18176/jiaci.0475. PMID:32043466
    40. Fiocchi A, Restani P, Travaini M, Decet E, Gaiaschi A, Bernardo L, et al. Carob is not allergenic in peanut-allergic subjects. Clin Exp Allergy. 1999;29(3):402-6. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2222.1999.00495.x. PMID:10202350
    41. Clarke P, Robinson MJ. Thickening milk feeds may cause necrotising enterocolitis. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2004;89(3):F280. doi:10.1136/adc.2003.036392. PMID:15102738
    42. Konak M, Kılıçlı E, Uygun SS, Namal H. Short-Term Gastrointestinal Tolerance and Oxygenation Changes After a Locust Bean Gum-Containing Formula in Preterm Infants: A Retrospective Paired Cohort Study. Nutrients. 2026;18(11):1834. doi:10.3390/nu18111834. PMID:42280475
    43. Signorino C, Municchi G, Ferrari M, Stagi S. Worsening of Congenital Hypothyroidism After Start of Carob-bean Gum Thickened Formula: Is There a Link? A Case Report. J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol. 2025;17(2):237-241. doi:10.4274/jcrpe.galenos.2023.2023-9-12. PMID:38054412
    44. Axe J. Natural Ways to Build a Bulletproof Immune System. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2025. Breast milk: "It's the greatest superfood of all time, and it supports natural immunization." at 13:41. Episode page: draxe.com/show/natural-ways-to-build-a-bulletproof-immune-system-b3bf9612/
    Dr. Josh Axe

    Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS

    Doctor of Natural Medicine · Founder, DrAxe.com

    Dr. Axe is a certified doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has spent 20+ years in clinical practice helping people heal at the root cause and founded one of the most-visited natural-health platforms in the world.

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