Psyllium husk, harvested from the outer covering of the seed of a plant native to India called Plantago ovata, resembles a lighter, fluffier version of wheat germ. The husk form of the product, sold in health stores as psyllium and drugstores as Metamucil, can be added to oatmeal, cereal and pastas or mixed in an 8-ounce (oz) glass of water and swallowed immediately before it thickens. Psyllium helps control blood cholesterol levels, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
History
Viscous fibers such as psyllium husk, which form a gel when added to water, have been recognized as having cholesterol-lowering properties since the 1960s, notes nutritional researcher Cyril W.C. Kendall of the University of Toronto. In 1998, the FDA announced its authorization, in response to a request from cereal maker Kellogg Co., of the use of health claims on food labeling of the association between psyllium husk and reduced risk of coronary heart disease. The FDA reviewed evidence of psyllium's effectiveness in lowering blood cholesterol and concluded, based on "the totality of publicly available scientific evidence, that there is significant scientific agreement among qualified experts to support the relationship between soluble fiber in psyllium seed husk and [coronary heart disease]."
Effects
Taking blonde psyllium, in the form of the husk or powder, is likely effective for lowering cholesterol in people with high cholesterol, the National Library of Medicine's online resource MedlinePlus notes. Psyllium husk or seed added to food, or taken as a 10 gram (g) to 12 g supplement, can reduce total cholesterol by 3 percent to 14 percent and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 5 percent to 10 percent after seven weeks or more of treatment, MedlinePlus adds.
Considerations
The FDA noted the importance of combining psyllium husk, at least 7 g a day, with a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Consumers need to arrive at a complete understanding of product claims, realizing that psyllium husk works best with a diet high in vegetables, fruits and grain products that contain soluble fiber to reduce the risk of heart disease, the FDA stressed.
Significance
With coronary heart disease being a leading cause of death in the United States, the FDA authorization focused on the public health benefit to any step that would reduce individual blood cholesterol levels. The risk of dying from coronary heart disease relates strongly to cholesterol levels, the FDA noted, increasing slowly for levels between 150 mg/dl and 200 mg/dl and more rapidly for levels above 200 mg/dl. The National Cholesterol Education Program, launched in 1985 as part of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, seeks to promote eating patterns that can lower Americans' blood cholesterol levels and lists psyllium in its publication "Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC."
Time Frame
Psyllium can decrease LDL cholesterol levels by 7 percent to 15 percent in children when combined with a diet low in fat and cholesterol, MedlinePlus notes. MedlinePlus states that psyllium seems to be less effective in study participants above the age of 60, working more effectively to lower LDL cholesterol in those under 60. Still, a 2008 study at Georgia State University's College of Health and Human Sciences found significant decreases in total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in post-menopausal women. The women ate one cookie, containing 5 g of psyllium fiber, with each meal.
References
- MedLinePlus: Blonde Psyllium
- Kellogg's Nutrition: The Health Benefits of Psyllium
- FDA.gov: Food Labeling: Health Claims; Soluble Fiber From Certain Foods and Coronary Heart Disease, Final Rule
- FDA.gov: CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21
- PubMed.gov: Serum Lipid Responses to Psyllium Fiber: Differences between Pre- and Post-menopausal, Hypercholesterolemic Women
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