Metamucil Review: Can It Help With Weight Loss?
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Are you sick of feeling bloated and struggling to have bowel movements? Don’t worry – you’re not alone.
In fact, about 16 out of 100 adults in the United States suffer from symptoms of constipation, which makes it a very common occurrence.
There are many medicines out there that are made to help with digestive health, and Metamucil is one of them.
In this article, we’ll take a look at whether or not Metamucil really works to keep your digestive tract healthy.
Read on for the full Metamucil review and find out how it compares to its alternatives.
Metamucil review
Digestive wellness supplements
- Helps support digestive health
- Can help you feel more energetic
- Can improve bowel movement regularity
Metamucil is a fiber supplement that is designed to help you be more regular in the bathroom. It is a psyllium-based supplement that has laxative properties and helps treat mild constipation while also having the added benefit of lowering your cholesterol.
However, that’s just about all it does. Unlike many other fiber supplements, Metamucil has some possible side effects, such as diarrhea and bloating.
⭐ Rating |
4.2
|
✅ Pros |
Possible weight loss, treats constipation |
❌ Cons |
Not certified by the FDA, might cause bloating |
🍎 Key ingredients |
Psyllium husk, acesulfame potassium, citric acid |
💊 Dosage form |
Powder, capsules, gummies, fiber thins |
💰 Price |
From $15 (powder) |
Metamucil vs alternatives
Metamucil has a number of competitors on the market right now. We’ve decided to compare this supplement with a few others to see how they perform against each other.
Here are the results:
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Contains psyllium husk as a star ingredient
Includes lemon juice
Aids combat constipation
Boosts energy and cleanses the gut
Comes in a sweet strawberry flavor
Easy to consume and can be used twice a day
You can use Colon Broom daily
Vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO
Helps to support healthy digestion
Can help you feel more energetic
Can improve bowel movement regularity
Will help with constipation
Has metabolic benefits
Can reduce bloating
Contains psyllium husk as a star ingredient
Includes lemon juice
Aids combat constipation
Boosts energy and cleanses the gut
Comes in a sweet strawberry flavor
Easy to consume and can be used twice a day
You can use Colon Broom daily
Vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO
Helps to support healthy digestion
Can help you feel more energetic
Can improve bowel movement regularity
Will help with constipation
Has metabolic benefits
Can reduce bloating
What is Metamucil?
Metamucil is a bulk-forming fiber supplement that has laxative properties. It is designed to treat bowel irregularities and occasional constipation and can also help lower cholesterol.
Unlike many other psyllium fiber supplements on the market, the psyllium fiber in Metamucil forms a viscous gel, which better helps the body maintain lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels to promote heart health.
As the psyllium enters the stomach, it thickens and becomes a thick gel that traps carbs and sugars. When the gel moves further down the small intestine, trapped sugars are slowly released and absorbed. This helps your body maintain blood sugar levels that are healthy.
Furthermore, the psyllium gel traps some bile acids in the small intestine, preventing reabsorption, though this could also be unhealthy.
The liver draws cholesterol from the blood to create new bile acids, which lowers blood cholesterol levels.
Metamucil ingredients
As you can see in the label provided below, the main ingredient of Metamucil Sugar-Free Fiber Powder is psyllium husk. Maltodextrin is another ingredient, and people with diabetes should be aware that maltodextrin has a high glycaemic index value (85–105).
Metamucil also contains aspartame (fake sugar) which is a controversial food additive. However, this product is sugar and gluten-free, so only you can decide if this diet supplement is the right choice for you.
Is Metamucil good for you?
This is really a question only you can answer! If you are someone who has been struggling with irregular bowel movements or difficulty having bowel movements altogether, then a supplement like Metamucil might help.
However, we cannot stress enough how you should not be using fiber supplements to promote weight loss.
Metamucil can provide weight loss benefits, but this is not the supplement’s primary function, and if you treat it like it is, you could be putting yourself in danger.
Fiber supplements are not meant to alter your body weight directly but rather improve your fiber intake to help you pass bowel movements, which can improve weight loss.
Taking a supplement like Metamucil every day can improve your digestive system and help with any digestive issues. It should only be in your daily routine if you don’t get enough fiber or simply need more fiber.
Does Metamucil lower your cholesterol?
The Food and Drug Administration approved the health claim that psyllium fiber – Metamucil’s primary ingredient – can lower cholesterol in moderate amounts.
So yes, Metamucil can, in fact, lower your cholesterol, but only slightly.
Does Metamucil support digestive health?
Psyllium has been used for decades as a way to battle constipation, thanks to its reputation as a bulk-forming laxative.
Like we mentioned earlier, the soluble fiber in Metamucil becomes a viscous gel when it enters the gut, which softens the stool and aids carry everything along the intestines.
Can Metamucil help with weight loss?
Metamucil certainly has the potential to help you achieve your weight loss goals. Taking the supplement daily can suppress your appetite, meaning you won’t feel hungry as often.
However, as we mentioned earlier, that’s not its primary function, and you need to follow the right diet if you want to feel great and not experience constipation anymore.
If you’re looking to improve your weight loss, consider talking to your doctor about going on a diet and how you can change your meals to promote healthy weight loss.
Does Metamucil work?
It depends on what results are you expecting. Metamucil can help you to lower cholesterol levels and soften stool as it contains psyllium husk. It also helps with constipation and can even suppress your appetite.
How to take Metamucil
Metamucil has a wide range of products. You can choose to take it as a powder and mix it with water, as a fiber thin to provide you with a healthy snack, as a capsule when you’re in a rush, or as a gummy if you prefer a chewy experience.
Of course, it’s important for you to find the form that works best for you and the time to take the supplement that works the best. Most people prefer to take Metamucil in the morning, while others prefer it in the evening.
Metamucil has a various range of powders: some of them are made with sugar, stevia, or sugar-free (with artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and acesulfame potassium).
Metamucil states that the supplement will make you feel lighter, have more energy, and cause you to be no longer constipated once you have added it to your diet.
Potential side effects
Any supplement or medicine is going to cause a few potential side effects, most of which are nothing to worry about. Some of the more common Metamucil side effects include:
- Bloating
- Stomach pain
- Stomach cramps
- Loose stools
These are generally due to the change in your digestive system when you first take Metamucil. According to user reviews, these side effects were not very common.
There are a few other side effects, however, that may arise after you add Metamucil to your diet, for which you should contact your doctor immediately. They are:
- Signs of an allergic reaction
- Itching
- Hives
- Tightness in the throat or chest
- Trouble breathing, swallowing, or talking
- Unusual hoarseness
- Swelling in the face
- Irritated, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin without fever
These symptoms indicate an allergic reaction, and if you experience any after taking Metamucil, you should call your doctor immediately.
Cost
On Amazon, you’re looking at 15 cents per capsule, and at 20 capsules of Metamucil daily, that’s $90 for just 1 month.
The cost of the sugar-free powder is $25.44 on Amazon for a canister of 180 servings. This comes out to around 14 cents per serving.
Since Metamucil recommends taking 3 servings a day, you’ll be spending $12.72 for 30 days of the low-dosage supplement.
A quick word from our RD
Let’s face it: we could all do with a little more fiber in our lives, especially since we’re living in an age where unhealthy, processed foods are so readily available.
In fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans from 2020 to 2025 found that over 90% of all Americans do not get enough fiber each year. Fiber is essential to our health, which is why it’s so important we all get enough of it.
However, it’s crucial to remember that your daily fiber intake requirements will depend on your personal health needs and status.
If you are someone who does their business regularly and has no problem going to the bathroom, taking fiber supplements would be pointless for you.
On the other hand, if you struggle to get your bowels moving, you’ll want to increase your daily fiber content. A soluble fiber supplement can see your constipation drastically improved.
If you want to get more fiber in your diet, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider about the foods you eat and whether or not psyllium is for you.
How we tested the product
At Health Insider, we want to provide medical advice and trustworthy health information to our readers, which is why we strive for accuracy and never provide a direct diagnosis.
When it comes to dietary supplements like Metamucil, there are certain criteria we use in our evaluations. They are:
Quality: How well does the product work? What does the company do to deliver its primary services, and is the service quality high? We also evaluate the product’s average rating, and for this supplement, we assessed online Metamucil reviews.
Value: Are you getting what you pay for? Is the product too expensive or suspiciously cheap? Does the company provide specials and discounts, and are there any hidden charges?
Customer support: What does the company do to help its customers with any problems they have? Are there varied ways to contact the company? How long does customer support take to respond?
FAQs
When it comes to moving their bowels. It can also be taken by anyone who requires more fiber in their diet.
Metamucil is a soluble fiber supplement, not a laxative. However, it is designed to improve your regularity when going to the bathroom and helps make moving your bowels easier.
On Metamucil’s website, the company states that they have not had their claims evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and that their supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Whether you feel that Metamucil is safe for you should be your decision alone, but based on the above information, you may want to think twice about this supplement.
Metamucil fiber supplements can be purchased directly from the company’s website, as well as from major drugstores and medicinal retailers.
There is a powder form of Metamucil you can add to water if you prefer to take it as a liquid. However, we do not recommend you add it to other beverages, as it could taste quite bad.
Conclusion
On the surface, Metamucil appears to be a great way to battle constipation and become more regular in the bathroom, but upon closer inspection, the fiber supplement is not as perfect as it seems on the first look.
Edibel Quintero is a medical doctor who graduated in 2013 from the University of Zulia and has been working in her profession since then. She specializes in obesity and nutrition, physical rehabilitation, sports massage and post-operative rehabilitation. Edibel's goal is to help people live healthier lives by educating them about food, exercise, mental wellness and other lifestyle choices that can improve their quality of life.
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