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30.03.2025

Weight loss through psyllium supplementation | Metastudy

Psyllium supplementation can promote not-too-large but significant weight loss. According to a meta-study published in 2023 in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, after five months of supplementation, you will be about four pounds slimmer.

Psyllium
The dried husks of the seeds of the plant Plantago ovata are marketed as psyllium. They have a great ability to absorb moisture and form a gel. Psyllium has been on the market in the United States since the 1930s as a dietary supplement as Metamucil.

Taken with plenty of water, psyllium helps with bowel movements, but there are also studies in which psyllium keeps glucose levels stable and lowers the amount of 'bad cholesterol' LDL.

Meta-study
There are also studies in which psyllium promotes weight loss. Employees of Procter & Gamble, the manufacturer of Metamucil, collected 6 of these trials in the scientific literature, aggregated the results and reanalyzed them. We therefore take the liberty of considering this research as 'sponsored'.

The trials on which the meta-study was based lasted an average of almost five months. All subjects were overweight or obese.

On average, the subjects consumed 10.8 grams of psyllium per day. A tablespoon of dried but otherwise unprocessed psyllium contains about 5 grams of psyllium. Psyllium is also available on the market as a ground powder. A teaspoon of that powder also contains 5 grams of psyllium.

The subjects took their psyllium at least twice a day. They took their dose, taken with a large amount of fluid, before meals.

Results
The subjects lost an average of about 2 kilos of body weight, the first figure below tells us. The second figure illustrates that supplementation reduced the size of the waist by a little over 2 centimeters.

Click on the figures below for a larger version.

Conclusion
"The present meta-analysis showed that psyllium, consumed as a supplement in divided doses just before meals, is clinically proven to decrease body weight, BMI, and waist circumference in overweight/obese participants", the researchers summarize.

"Additional meta-analyses support clinically proven benefits of psyllium fiber in improving glycemic control in metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, lowering LDL and total cholesterol in hyperlipidemia." [Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Dec;102(6):1604-14.] [Am J Clin Nutr. 2018 Nov 1;108(5):922-32.]

Source:
J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2023 Aug 1;35(8):468-76.

More:
Psyllium boosts chance of successful weight loss 30.09.2016

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