Psyllium as food supplement

@nicechap Psyllium blocks many nutrients, which is why it is recommended you take it two hours before or after any other medications or supplements.

I doubt very much that psyllium is linked to collagen. I wish it were true because I have been taking psyllium for years and there has been no improvement in my skin elasticity!

@nicechap Here is a small, older study that was done to test the theory:
"Results: Fractional absorption of calcium from orange juice without added fiber averaged 0.341 +/- 0.059; in the presence of psyllium fiber, 0.317 +/- 0.067; and in the presence of neutral fiber, 0.354 +/- 0.083. While the absorption with cellulose was slightly higher than in the absence of fiber, and the absorption with psyllium was slightly lower, neither difference was statistically significant. However, the difference between added psyllium and cellulose was statistically significant (P < .05).

Conclusion: Psyllium in the form of Metamucil makes little practical difference to availability of co-ingested calcium when ingested at typical therapeutic doses." (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7884114/)

The difference in absorption was about 10% when the psyllium was ingested at the same time as the calcium. I would expect it would be even less when not taken together.

@rashida, @sueinmn - thank you very much for your clarifications.

Have you considered eating more fruits and vegetables, especially with skin on (apples, pears, carrots and potatoes? Good fiber there

@maggieb892 - thank you very much for your idea.
Yes, we eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.
Recently we started eating them with skin on.
I agree that they are an excellent source of fibre.
Psyllium was just an additional source of fibre.

I take a several TBSP of psyllium husk every day for GI health. Psyllium is a mix of fibers; the soluble feeds bacteria in ones intestines (happy biome), and insoluble increases bulk and moisture retention (which is why it is in Metamucil). Much less expensive to buy it in bulk. As a strange aside, psyllium husk is also great in gluten free (GF) baking. Unlike wheat, the majority of GF flours do not absorb water so adding a few TBSP of the husk results in more elastic and moist GF bread. Even with eating a lot of fruits and veggies, I wasn't getting enough fiber.

I have talked to a friend of mine.
He is also using psyllium instead of flour for baking.
I am thinking to come back to psyllium to get enough fibre as I have high sensitivity to some fruits.

I'm going to be the Debby downer here sorry. According to a very respected independent lab, ConsumerLab.com, all psyllium contains heavy metal lead in various amounts. Some as much as 8.5 micrograms per 4 grams of fiber, yielding over 60x the California warning level in a maximum daily serving. Any amount of lead in your body is not good.

Thank you very much for your info.
This is something that many of us are missing.

Please read the full article if you are concerned:
https://www.consumerlab.com/news/best-psyllium-fiber-supplements-2024/02-29-2024/
There are brands which are tested and contain far less lead - and only one product contained the high amount of lead cited.

When we refer to studies, it is important to report the results fairly and accurately.