Will Adding Psyllium Seed to my Diet Lower the Risk of Heart Disease?

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Will Adding Psyllium seed to my Diet Lower the Risk of Heart Disease? JoAnn

Guest Aug 04, 2003 16:56 PDT

Today's Question

Will adding psyllium seed to my diet lower the risk of heart disease?

 

-- Anonymous

 

Today's Answer

(Published 11/10/1998)

Psyllium, a cultivated plant from India, contains soluble fiber that can

help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels.

Until the FDA acted early this year to allow the Kellogg Company to

claim that its Bran Buds cereal with psyllium is heart-healthy, this

substance was best known as a bulk laxative, the active ingredient in

Metamucil. But after reviewing research results showing that eating

approximately 10 grams of psyllium daily can lower total blood

cholesterol by about 5 percent and LDL cholesterol by 9 percent, the FDA

OK'd the Kellogg claim. Now that the FDA has permitted one product to

claim that the psyllium it contains reduces the risk of heart disease,

we'll probably hear about many more. The FDA, in fact, has acknowledged

that all kinds of foods with psyllium added -- from waffles to biscuits

-- are headed to market.

On the surface that sounds great, but to get the kind of

cholesterol-lowering effect from a psyllium-added cereal you would have

to eat four bowls daily and be on a low-fat diet. If you tried to

consume that much cereal, you would probably regret it. Large doses of

any type of fiber can cause uncomfortable gas and bloating. If you're

going to add psyllium to your cereal or buy psyllium-added brands,

introduce it into your diet gradually. Try a little bit -- a smaller

than normal portion -- every other day and increase the amount you eat

slowly.

 

And don't get hung up on looking for psyllium, either. Almost any food

can claim to benefit the heart provided it contains at least 1.7 grams

of soluble fiber per serving. Fiber is heart-healthy because it binds

cholesterol in the intestinal tract and ushers it out of the body, but

psyllium or oat bran (the previous craze of this kind) isn't the only

source. You'll get the same effect by increasing your intake of a wide

variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

 

http://www.drweil.com

 

JoAnn Guest

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