METAMUCIL CHOLESTEROL STUDY IN 26 MALE SUBJECTS

METAMUCIL CHOLESTEROL STUDY IN 26 MALE SUBJECTS showed a mean reduction in cholesterol levels of about 15%, according to study author James Anderson, MD, Veterans Administration Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky. Anderson reported that "when people took standard doses of Metamucil they got about a 15% reduction in blood cholesterol." The study was presented at the March 30-April 2 annual meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) in Washington, D.C. The active ingredient of Procter & Gamble's bulk laxative Metamucil is psyllium hydrophilic mucilloid, a soluble plant fiber derived from the husks of blond psyllium seeds. Anderson reported that cholesterol-lowering effects have been demonstrated using other soluble fibers including guar gum, xanthan gum, oat gum, locust bean gum and pectin. The study objective, Anderson said, was to investigate the effects of this fiber on elevated serum cholesterol levels. The patient population consisted of 26 men, aged 30-65, with cholesterol levels ranging from 185-320. After a two-week baseline period, patients were treated for eight weeks with half receiving Orange Sugar Free Metamucil 4.3 g three doses/day (each dose consists of 3.4 g of psyllium) and the other half receiving cellulose placebo three doses/day. Patients maintained their usual diets. After eight weeks of psyllium treatment "serum total cholesterol had fallen from baseline by 14.8% and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 20.2%. No cholesterol reductions occurred in the placebo group and neither psyllium or placebo had any effect on high density lipoprotein-cholesterol or triglycerides. Anderson said that "if people can sustain a 15% reduction in blood cholesterol, that translates into an estimated 30% reduction in the risk for coronary heart disease." Asked if he recommends Metamucil for hypercholesterolemics, Anderson said that "people who have high blood cholesterol need to be counseled by their doctor. . . [and] if it's extremely high they need drugs. Diet is still the first treatment for blood cholesterol." He added: "If diet doesn't do the job, I think a simple measure such as Metamucil may be the second step." According to the study, psyllium contrasts with drugs commonly recommended for lowering blood cholesterol in its suitability for long term therapy. Currently available anticholesterol drugs lower serum cholesterol by 10-20%, but produce a variety of side effects, the study maintains. Asked during the presentation how Metamucil's dose/effect compared with cholestyramine (Mead Johnson's Questran), Anderson replied that "cholestyramine is commonly used in doses of 4 g three times a day [and] one of the problems people find is they have real difficulty taking cholestyramine." Anderson said that he distinguishes Metamucil as "a sort of dietary supplement with potent drugs." Regarding psyllium's mechanism of action, Anderson said, "We think part of the fact is that psyllium does increase bile acid secretion, that is, it drains cholesterol products from the body, but we think also that when psyllium is permitted in the colon it produces short chain fatty acids and those fatty acids may work all over to cholesterol synthesis." Anderson noted that Metamucil acts very quickly and if people stop taking it and do not modify their diets, their blood cholesterol "will be back to where it started within seven to 14 days."