Psyllium

What is psyllium?

Psyllium (Plantago ovata ¹ ) is a mucilaginous laxative for the gentle relief of constipation and/or irregularity and to facilitate bowel movements.

Its properties

• Relieves constipation ^2,3
• May provide relief to some people with irritable bowel syndrome ⁴
• Prebiotics beneficial for the mucosa and intestinal health ⁵
• Lowers blood sugar after meals (in diabetics), bad cholesterol and increases good HDL ⁶
• Effect on cholesterol and lipids ⁷
• Higher dietary fiber intakes are significantly associated with a reduced risk of gallstones ⁸
• If there is bloating, an alternative is acacia fiber.

References

1. https://altmedrev.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/v7-2-155.pdf

2. McRorie JW, Daggy BP, Morel JG, Diersing PS, Miner PB, Robinson M. Psyllium is superior to docusate sodium for treatment of chronic constipation. Food Pharmacol Ther. 1998 May;12(5):491-7. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2036.1998.00336.x. PMID: 9663731. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.1365-2036.1998.00336.x

3.Erdogan A, Rao SS, Thiruvaiyaru D, Lee YY, Coss Adame E, Valestin J, O'Banion M. Randomized clinical trial: mixed soluble/insoluble fiber vs. psyllium for chronic constipation. Food Pharmacol Ther. 2016 Jul;44(1):35-44. doi:10.1111/apt.13647. PMID: 27125883; PMCID: PMC4891216. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apt.13647

4. Shulman RJ, Hollister EB, Cain K, Czyzewski DI, Self MM, Weidler EM, Devaraj S, Luna RA, Versalovic J, Heitkemper M. Psyllium Fiber Reduces Abdominal Pain in Children with Irritable Bowel Syndrome in a Randomized, Double-Blind Trial. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 May;15(5):712-719.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2016.03.045. PMID: 27080737; PMCID: PMC5064811. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5064811/

5. Jalanka J, Major G, Murray K, Singh G, Nowak A, Kurtz C, Silos-Santiago I, Johnston JM, de Vos WM, Spiller R. The Effect of Psyllium Husk on Intestinal Microbiota in Constipated Patients and Healthy Controls. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Jan 20;20(2):433. doi:10.3390/ijms20020433. PMID: 30669509; PMCID: PMC6358997. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/2/433

6. Noureddin S, Mohsen J, Payman A. Effects of psyllium vs. placebo on constipation, weight, glycemia, and lipids: A randomized trial in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic constipation. Ther Med supplement. 2018 Oct; 40:1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2018.07.004. PMID: 30219432. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096522991830133X

7.Jovanovski E, Yashpal S, Komishon A, Zurbau A, Blanco Mejia S, Ho HVT, Li D, Sievenpiper J, Duvnjak L, Vuksan V. Effect of psyllium (Plantago ovata) fiber on LDL cholesterol and alternative lipid targets, non-HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018 Nov 1;108(5):922-932. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqy115. PMID: 30239559. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/108/5/922/5098499

7.Erdogan A, Rao SS, Thiruvaiyaru D, Lee YY, Coss Adame E, Valestin J, O'Banion M. Randomized clinical trial: mixed soluble/insoluble fiber vs. psyllium for chronic constipation. Food Pharmacol Ther. 2016 Jul;44(1):35-44. doi:10.1111/apt.13647. PMID: 27125883; PMCID: PMC4891216. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apt.13647

8, Tehrani AN, Saadati S, Yari Z, Salehpour A, Sadeghi A, Daftari G, Ghorbani M, Hekmatdoost A. Dietary fiber intake and risk of gallstone: a case-control study. BMC Gastroenterol. 2023 Apr 11;23(1):119. doi:10.1186/s12876-023-02752-0. PMID: 37041462; PMCID: PMC10091554.

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