Can psyllium really help your gut?
This week, we’ve been reviewing medical research papers on fibre supplementation. But don’t worry! We’re not going to make you read them all. But if you’ve ever wondered whether psyllium could help to relieve your gut health symptoms, then here’s some evidence from the prestigious American Journal of Gastroenterology. A review of randomised clinical trial data found a statistically significant effect in favour of psyllium as an effective treatment for IBS.
Want to know more? You could read the systematic literature review or if you just want the highlights, keep reading:
An early systematic review of the effects of fibre supplementation on IBS was widely criticised because its analysis and conclusions were based on a small sample of randomised clinical trials. So in 2014, the researchers repeated the study based on updated trial data. Here’s what they learned:
fibre supplementation is often used to manage function GI disorders, but some people were concerned that the use of fibre in IBS may make symptoms worse
to address this concern, the researchers reviewed all of the randomised controlled trial data published from 1946-2013 that measured the effects of fibre on IBS symptoms. (nb: There weren’t many studies that fit this criteria!)
they then did a deep dive into 14 studies involving 906 patients
the researchers noted a statistically significant effect in favour of fibre supplementation compared with a placebo
6 of the studies supplemented with bran in 441 patients; while 7 studies used psyllium in 499 patients (the remaining few studies used ‘concentrated fibre’ or linseeds).
while bran had no statistically significant effects on the treatment of IBS, psyllium did! As a result, the researchers concluded that soluble fibre IS effective in treating IBS symptoms.
But how does it work exactly? Psyllium is mostly soluble fibre but has some insoluble fibre too which might explain why it helps both IBS-C (constipation predominant) and IBS-D (diarrhea predominant). Researchers are still studying precisely how and why it helps to relieve gut health symptoms. The best guesses so far: 1. that psyllium helps bulk up stool (plausible, but is that it?); 2. that psyllium increases short chain fatty acid production providing energy for colonic mucosa cells and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent (also plausible); and 3. that psyllium acts as a prebiotic, changing the composition of the gut microbiome and thereby reducing GI symptoms.
While researchers unravel the exact mechanism, what we do know is that psyllium can help relieve gut symptoms so it’s definitely worth trying. Choose a brand that doesn’t contain artificial flavours, flavours and sweeteners. Or you could just try our shakes which contain psyllium and other gut-safe fibres.