NEW YORK, Feb 09 (Reuters Health) -- Psyllium, a type of fiber found in
some breakfast cereals and bulk laxatives, appears to enhance the
cholesterol-lowering effects of a low-fat diet, according to an analysis of
eight separate studies conducted in the past.
Compared with a low-fat diet alone, a diet low in total fat, saturated fat
and cholesterol that includes the soluble fiber psyllium can lower total
cholesterol levels by an additional 4%, and LDL (or "bad") cholesterol by an
additional 7%, the investigators found. The fiber had no effect on HDL (or
"good") cholesterol.
According to the study authors, the results may be used to help the
approximately 30% of Americans who suffer from high cholesterol -- a condition
that can lead to heart disease and stroke.
"Regular intake of psyllium decreases serum cholesterol by a minimum of
4%, which reduces the estimated risk of (heart disease) by 8% to 12%," explained
lead author James W. Anderson, with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the
University of Kentucky in Lexington, in an interview with Reuters Health.
He added that even greater reductions in cholesterol are seen in people on
diets that have more fat than the study diet. "This would apply to most North
Americans," Anderson said.
Consuming psyllium as part of a low-fat diet is just one of many steps
people could take to reduce cholesterol levels, according to an editorial
accompanying the study. Other dietary options include replacing meat and dairy
with soy products, and adding plant sterols to margarine, chewing gum and other
foods.
Although the cholesterol-lowering effects of these options are not proven
and any reduction in cholesterol may be minor, their cumulative action may be a
15% to 20% reduction in LDL cholesterol, note David J.A. Jenkins and colleagues
with St. Michael's Hospital and the department of nutritional sciences at the
University of Toronto, Canada, in the editorial.
Psyllium husk is a type of soluble fiber. Some soluble fibers, which
include oats and barley, have been shown to lower cholesterol levels in people
with high cholesterol when consumed as part of a low-fat diet. However, the
cholesterol-lowering effects and safety of psyllium have not been completely
evaluated.
The authors reviewed data from eight studies, in which men and women with
mild to moderately high cholesterol consumed 10.2 grams of psyllium or (an
inactive) placebo daily for at least 8 weeks. All the study subjects also were
on low-fat diets, according to the report in the February issue of the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Although psyllium can cause allergic reactions in some individuals, the
study found that it appeared to be safe and well tolerated.
"Psyllium is safe, well accepted, and provides a useful adjunct to a
low-fat diet for individuals with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia,"
Anderson and colleagues conclude.
The study was funded by The Proctor & Gamble Company of Cincinnati, Ohio,
a manufacturer of consumer products including cereals that contain psyllium.
