Type 2 diabetes
In 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a qualified health claim for psyllium as a possible benefit for people with diabetes, requiring FDA-approved wording on a product label: "Psyllium husk may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, although the FDA has concluded that there is very little scientific evidence for this claim." A meta-analysis published after the FDA decision reported that psyllium provided before meals improved fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin, but that the larger effect was seen in people diagnosed with and being treated for type 2 diabetes, and only a modest improvement for people classified as pre-diabetic. Veterinary medicine
Psyllium fiber dietary supplements are used in veterinary medicine to treat sand impaction in horses to aid in elimination of sand from the horses colon. Adverse effects
Fiber generally has few side effects. Psyllium can cause bowel obstructions or bezoars, if taken without adequate amounts of water. Gas or stomach bloating may also occur. Choking is a hazard if psyllium is taken without adequate water as it thickens in the throat. Allergy
Psyllium can cause allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Psyllium may act as a potent inhalant allergen capable of eliciting asthma symptoms. Health care professionals at geriatric care hospitals, who are frequently exposed to psyllium in the laxatives administered to patients, are commonly IgE sensitized to psyllium (13.8%), and 8.6% have clinical allergy to psyllium. Pharmaceutical manufacturing employees who have been exposed to psyllium during the processing have developed occupational asthma and IgE sensitization.
The advertising slogan at that time was "If not nature, then Metamucil". Procter & Gamble sought to make Metamucil a household name by advertising in magazines and on television, using the claim "All fiber is not created equal". References
External links
USDA Plants Profile: Plantago ovata Forsk. USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network: Plantago ovata Forsk. ITIS Standard Report: Plantago ovata Forsk. USDA Plants Profile: Plantago psyllium L.
USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network: Plantago psyllium L. (Plantago arenaria)