<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thanks to all for your kind responses! These follow:

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Guar gum has a laxative effect in some people, but xanthan gum does not.
It is gluten free, and does not have any toxic effects. We use it all
the time in our gf receipes to help bind the product we are baking.

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Xanthan gum is perfectly safe.  Usually 2 teaspoons go into a loaf of
bread.

Helps keep it together. ......

Guar Gum was the item used before Xanthan became available.  It can have
a laxative effect on the body (frequent bowel movements or diarrhea).
Xanthan does not have this effect.

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From a leaflet produced by The Gluten
Intolerance Group of North America:

Xanthan Gum is made from the following process: " When the tiny
microorganism called Xanthomonas Campestris is allowed to grow under the
right conditions, it builds a protective covering around itself, a cell
coat that possesses very special properties. If the organism is grown in
a laboratory, large amounts of this cell coat can be removed by a
chemical process, dried, and milled to form a powder called Xanthan
Gum."

It is a polysaccharide which is a simple sugar, but it is of a form not
readily absorbed by the human intestine."The special strength, which
makes the cell coat valuable to its tiny inhabitant also, makes it
useful in foods".

It has the ability to hold the particles of a food together well, which
makes it a good stabilizer. It is a good substitute for gluten in yeast
breads.

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