What is psyllium?

Psyllium (pronounced ‘silly-um‘) is also sometimes referred to as ispaghula and is the common name used for several members of the plant Plantago. The seeds of the plant are widely used for the production of mucilage which is a thick, gluey substance produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms.

Uses for psyllium

Psyllium is typically used as a dietary fibre supplement to relieve symptoms of both constipation and mild diarrhoea. It’s also sometimes used as a food thickener. Research has also shown benefits in reducing blood cholesterol levels.

The plant which produces psyllium is most often grown in northern India as the seeds that are extracted can tolerate dry and cool climates.

Other brand names

Psyllium products are marketed under several brand names, such as Metamucil, Fybogel, Konsyl, and Lunelax. In the UK, a popular brand is Lepicol which can be bought from Holland and Barrett or several smaller outlets around the country. Lepicol is predominantly made from psyllium husks but it also contains 5 different types of live bacteria.

Psyllium in our food

Psyllium mucilage is sometimes used in food as a thickening agent, sometimes in frozen products such as ice cream and frozen desserts. From what I’ve read elsewhere, as little as 1.5% can be added to certain foods to thicken them, whereas if you were using starch mucilage to get the same effect, you’d have to add around 10%.

There are also the added health benefits to consider. Manufacturers always strive to make their foods appear as healthy as possible so adding psyllium to their product, whilst it can be beneficial for us, also has the knock-on effect of being good for the product maker’s PR as well.

Ice cream

Let’s take ice cream for example; I’ve read that one serving of a typical desert product containing psyllium can actually contain more fibre than a slice of wholemeal bread. For the manufacturers, you’d assume that this would be a win-win scenario. They can advertise the health benefits of their products whilst also thickening it at the same time. Most of us are aware that standard ice creams and other frozen desserts are packed with sugary calories, not to mention cholesterol and fat, so it makes sense for manufacturers to add psyllium to offset this with the health benefits it contains when psyllium mucilage is added. Despite this, I’m unable to find any ice cream manufacturers that state that psyllium is one of their ingredients. Let me know if you find any that do list it.

Breakfast cereal

This isn’t the case with breakfast cereal. It was fairly easy to find out that Kellog’s, the makers of the well-known breakfast cereal All-Bran, listing psyllium as one of the ingredients in its sister product All Bran Buds. The ingredients listed on the page clearly list “psyllium seed husk” as one of the ingredients. They also say that:

Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 7 grams of soluble fiber per day from psyllium may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Is psyllium soluble or insoluble?

Michael Peluso, who at the time of writing, is a semi-retired scientist in the field of nutritional biochemistry claims in this instructive article that psyllium is made up of 70% soluble fibre and 30% insoluble fibre.

The soluble part of psyllium forms a gel-like substance in your body once you’ve taken it and it also binds to cholesterol in your intestines, which helps to slow down the rate of digestion. The insoluble part (which also has positive effects on your cholesterol) helps to bulk out your stools and also stimulates their movement through the intestinal tract. This is great for improving the regularity of your bowel movements and is one of the attractions of taking psyllium in the first place. Michael goes on to add that both the soluble and insoluble parts of psyllium move through your body largely unaltered as both are pretty much indigestible.

Psyllium husk is predominantly bought and used for its soluble fibre properties (the part of the husk that swells up when a liquid is added). Whilst it contains insoluble fibre, it’s not the best source to get our daily intake from. As our bodies need both kinds of fibre, it’s advisable to look at other natural ways to get the much-needed insoluble fibre into our systems. There are certain foods that you’ll often see recommended as a great source of insoluble fibre such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, pulses and of course, plenty of fruit and vegetables.

However, if you use psyllium regularly as I do, it’s still fairly good for that all important insoluble fibre. Just to be clear it’s not a substitute for the natural foods mentioned above, but more of a helpful supplement. The thing about insoluble fibre is that it’s great for keeping us ‘regular’ and its lubricating and bulk-forming properties naturally assist our food in moving through our intestines. This tends to lead to less constipation and more regular bowel movements. If you’re the kind of person that doesn’t go regularly, psyllium can be useful in training your body to go on a daily basis and find a natural rhythm.

If you’re looking at ways to increase your daily intake of dietary fibre, a good place to start is by eating more non-refined wholegrain wheat. The refined stuff, whilst still partially beneficial, has less soluble and insoluble fibre as a result of the manufacturing process.

Potential Cancer-Busting Properties

There’s also good evidence that having a decent daily amount of dietary fibre and whole grains can help reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. A study published on the BMJ website in 2011 informs us that colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common type of cancer, accounting for nearly 10% of all cancers. The study says that in the 1970s, an Irish born surgeon named Denis Burkitt proposed that dietary fibre could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. He had noticed that there were far fewer rates of this type of cancer among rural Africans who ate a diet with a high fibre content. He also wrote an international bestseller called “Don’t Forget Fibre in your Diet” as a result.

Anyway, the BMJ study concludes that:

…our meta-analysis suggests that a high intake of dietary fibre, particularly from cereal and whole grains, is associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer.

 So, there you have it!

What is the difference between soluble and insoluble fibre?

There is a common misperception as to what the terms soluble and insoluble actually mean. Some assume that “soluble” means that a substance can be dissolved in a liquid, much like salt or sugar, but according to what Michael has written, this doesn’t appear to be the case, as you can deduce from reading above. Rather confusingly, another article elsewhere states that, when the word soluble is used in science, it means that the substance can be dissolved in a liquid, such as water. To be honest, I’m still not entirely sure what the difference is. Perhaps someone can let me know and clear up my confusion once and for all!

Please be aware that I’m still in the process of adding to this article so, more to come soon….!