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 have 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
Summary:
Metamucil is a fibre 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 offering the added benefit of lowering your cholesterol.
However, that’s just about all it does. Unlike many other fibre supplements, such as ColonBroom or ZuPoo, Metamucil has some possible side effects and has not been registered by the Food and Drug Administration.
Digestive wellness supplements
- Helps support digestive health
- Can help you feel more energetic
- Can improve bowel movement regularity
Metamucil vs competitors
Metamucil has a number of competitors on the market right now. ColonBroom and ZuPoo are the supplement’s two main competitors, and we’ve decided to compare all three 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 in combating constipation
Boosts energy and cleanses the gut
Comes in a sweet strawberry flavour
Easy to consume and can be used twice a day
You can use Colon Broom daily
Vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO
Helps support digestive health
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 in combating constipation
Boosts energy and cleanses the gut
Comes in a sweet strawberry flavour
Easy to consume and can be used twice a day
You can use Colon Broom daily
Vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO
Helps support digestive health
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 fibre 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 fibre supplements on the market, the psyllium fibre in Metamucil forms a viscous gel, which helps the body maintain lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels in a more efficent way 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, the 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 the reabsorption process that 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 on the label provided below, the main ingredient of Metamucil Sugar-Free Fibre 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. It must be said, though, that this product is sugar and gluten-free, and 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 having problems with bowel movements altogether, then a supplement like Metamucil might help.
However, we cannot stress enough how you should not be using fibre 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.
Fibre supplements are not meant to alter your body weight directly but rather improve your fibre intake to help you improve bowel movements, which can consequently advance weight loss.
Taking a supplement like Metamucil every day can improve your digestive system and help with any digestive issues. It should only be included in your daily routine if you don’t get enough fibre or simply need more fibre.
Does Metamucil lower your cholesterol?
The Food and Drug Administration approved the health claim that psyllium fibre — 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.
As we mentioned earlier, the soluble fibre in Metamucil becomes a viscous gel when it enters the gut, which softens the stool and helps 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’ve 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’s products come in various forms. You can choose to take it as a powder and mix it with water, as a fibre thin (small biscuit) 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 suits you best. Most people prefer to take Metamucil in the morning, while others prefer it in the evening.
Metamucil has a 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’ve 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 stool
These are generally due to the change in your digestive system when you first take Metamucil. According to user reviews, these side effects are not very common.
There are a few other side effects, however, that may arise after you add Metamucil to your diet, and if that happens, 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 pence per capsule, and at 20 capsules of Metamucil daily, that’s £73.89 for just 1 month.
The cost of the sugar-free powder is £20.88 on Amazon for a canister of 180 servings. This comes out to around 12 pence per serving.
Since Metamucil recommends taking 3 servings a day, you’ll be spending £10.79 for 30 days of the low-dosage supplement.
A quick word from our RD
Let’s face it: we could all use a little more fibre 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 fibre each year. Fibre 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 fibre intake requirements will depend on your personal health needs and status.
If you’re someone who does their business regularly and has no problem going to the bathroom, taking fibre 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 fibre content. A soluble fibre supplement can see your constipation drastically improved.
If you want to get more fibre 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, steadfast 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 fees?
Customer support: What does the company do to help its customers with whatever problems they have? Are there different ways to contact the company? How long does customer support take to respond?
FAQs
Anyone who requires more fibre in their diet could find this product useful.
Metamucil is a soluble fibre supplement, not a laxative. However, it is designed to improve your regularity when going to the toilet 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 fibre supplements can be purchased directly on the company’s website, as well as at major drugstores and from 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 toilet, but upon closer inspection, this fibre supplement is certainly not all that it aims to represent.
It is not backed by the FDA, is quite overpriced, and has a range of potential side effects that could become unbearable. If you’re looking for an option that offers more benefits without the nasty side effects, a supplement like ColonBroom could be a better option than Metamucil.
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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