The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends a fiber intake of 14 grams per 1,000 calories consumed. This translates to approximately 25 g/day for women and 38 g/day for men (adults aged 21–50).[1]
However, adults in the United States only consume an average of 15 grams/day.
Not consuming enough fiber can have an adverse impact on gut health, and an unhealthy gut microbiome can affect digestion, weight loss goals, physical/mental performance, mood, and even skin health.
Today, we’ll highlight a dietary fiber supplement that can help you achieve your daily fiber needs and offer a number of other benefits.
That fiber is none other than psyllium husk.
What is Psyllium Husk?
Psyllium is a soluble fiber from the husk of the Plantago ovata seed. The husks are ground into a powder and provide a rich source of soluble fiber.
As a soluble fiber, psyllium helps to absorb water in the GI tract, which helps slow down digestion and improves the absorption of various nutrients contained within your food.
While psyllium is recognized for its gut health benefits, it offers several other health benefits.
Psyllium Husk Benefits
Weight Loss
One of the main reasons that individuals abandon their calorie-restricted diets (and subsequently struggle with weight loss) is feeling hunger after meals. This leads to snacking and an overconsumption of total daily calories, which stalls weight loss and may even lead to weight gain.
Consuming more fiber, including psyllium husk fiber, can help to increase feelings of satiety, slow digestion, and help individuals stay on track with their weight loss goals.
In fact, a 2023 review found that psyllium may help overweight and obese individuals lose weight and improve overall health markers.[2]
Not only is psyllium beneficial during weight loss journeys or transformation challenges, it can also help individuals maintain their weight loss results and prevent weight regain.[3]
Cardiovascular Health
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, with an estimated 17.9 million deaths in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths.
Soluble fiber, including psyllium husk, has been found to be beneficial for cardiovascular health.
A 2018 meta-analysis concluded that taking soluble fiber supplements like psyllium may help you manage your cholesterol levels.[4]
A previous review found that taking between 6-15 grams daily of fiber supplements helped decrease LDL (“bad”) cholesterol up to 24% and total cholesterol up to 20%.[1]
Why is this important?
High cholesterol levels may increase your risk of several conditions, including[5]:
- heart disease
- diabetes
- coronary artery disease
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- heart attack
- stroke
Improved Glucose Control
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), normal fasting blood glucose levels range between 70-100 mg/dL for individuals without diabetes. Unfortunately, over ⅓ of American adults are overweight/obese and 38.4 of Americans are prediabetic, based on their fasting glucose or A1C level.[6]
Research indicates that psyllium husk may assist with blood sugar regulation.[7]
In fact, consuming 5,000mg (5g) of psyllium husk fiber twice a day (30 minutes before breakfast and dinner) was found to improve fasting blood glucose and significantly reduce markers of insulin resistance.[8]
Digestive Health
Gut health has been a key focus for much of the past decade thanks to the research community’s dedication and investment into understanding the multiple ways that the gut impacts virtually every facet of short-term and long-term health.
Not only does the gut impact how we digest and absorb food, it also impacts:
- Aging
- Inflammation
- Cardiometabolic health
- Skin health
- Mood
- Cognitive function
- Athletic performance
- Satiety
- Immune response
Psyllium husk is widely recognized for its ability to support GI function and gut health.
Where to Find Psyllium Husk
Psyllium husk is one of the best-selling fiber supplements on the market, which means there are tons of options available to you. But, most fiber supplements just contain psyllium husk (or inulin).
1UP Fiber Plus supplies 4,000mg of psyllium husk powder in every serving in addition to 4,000mg of inulin and 2,000mg cold-milled flax seed. This supplies a robust 7 grams of fiber per serving. But, that’s not all as 1UP Fiber Plus also delivers important antioxidants in vitamin C and beneficial probiotics.
References
- Lambeau KV, McRorie JW Jr. Fiber supplements and clinically proven health benefits: How to recognize and recommend an effective fiber therapy. J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2017 Apr;29(4):216-223. doi: 10.1002/2327-6924.12447. Epub 2017 Mar 2. PMID: 28252255; PMCID: PMC5413815.
- Gibb RD, Sloan KJ, McRorie JW Jr. Psyllium is a natural nonfermented gel-forming fiber that is effective for weight loss: A comprehensive review and meta-analysis. J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2023 Aug 1;35(8):468-476. doi: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000882. PMID: 37163454; PMCID: PMC10389520
- Geremew Kassa, M., Alemu Teferi, D., Asemu, A. M., Belachew, M. T., Satheesh, N., Abera, B. D., & Erku, E. G. (2024). Review on psyllium husk: nutritional, functional, health benefits, food industry applications, waste treatment, and potential negative effects. CyTA - Journal of Food, 22(1).https://doi.org/10.1080/19476337.2024.2409174
- 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://www.heart.org/-/media/Files/Health-Topics/Cholesterol/Consequences-of-high-cholesterol.pdf
- https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/diabetes-statistics
- Belorio M, Gómez M. Psyllium: a useful functional ingredient in food systems. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2022;62(2):527-538. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2020.1822276. Epub 2020 Sep 21. PMID: 32951436.
- Bacha AA, Din ZU, Khan I. Effect of Psyllium husk fiber and lifestyle modification on human body insulin resistance. Nutr Metab Insights. 2022 Jun 24;15:11786388221107797. doi: 10.1177/11786388221107797. PMID: 35769394; PMCID: PMC9234916.
