Male Hartley guinea pigs were fed semipurified diets containing various levels of psyllium and cholesterol to determine mechanisms by which psyllium lowers plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL) concentrations. Four diets were tested: control diets with 12.5% (w/w) cellulose, and psyllium diets in which cellulose was partially replaced with 7.5% (w/w) psyllium. Two levels of dietary cholesterol w...

Psyllium husk, a highly viscous fiber, has beneficial effects for health, but has been reported to inhibit absorption of calcium. The present study found the effects of fiber viscosity on calcium, magnesium, and zinc absorption with partially degraded psyllium preparations to be one fifth viscosity (LD-HP) and one seventieth viscosity (HD-HP) using normal and ovariectomized rats. Magnesium abso...

The distribution of 14 iridoid glucosides in 14 Plantago L. species (44 samples corresponding to 18 taxa) was shown. P. tenuiflora and P. gentianoides were studied for iridoids for the first time. The iridoid patterns showed a good correlation with morphological and other chemical features of the representatives of genus Plantago. The studied species are grouped together according to the iridoi...

BACKGROUND Soluble fibers, including those from psyllium husk, have been shown to augment the cholesterol-lowering effects of a low-fat diet in persons with hypercholesterolemia. As evidence of this, the US Food and Drug Administration recently authorized the use of health claims on food products containing soluble fiber from psyllium that state that they are associated with a decreased risk of...

BACKGROUND Due to the attribution of fatty liver with some chronic diseases such as obesity, finding a way to control obesity can be useful for the management of fatty liver. This study was performed to assess the effects of Plantago psyllium (PP) and Ocimum basilicum (OB) on anthropometric measurements in people with hepatic steatosis. METHODS All patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disea...

A cooperative regional research study using 194 sows, from which data were collected from 381 litters, was conducted at 3 research stations to determine the effects of added psyllium (a concentrated fiber source) or soybean hulls to gestation diets on reproductive performance of sows and preweaning performance of their pigs. Primiparous and multiparous sows were allotted to the 3 treatments of ...

Dietary fibre and fat affect colonic tumourigenesis and inflammation. Sphingomyelin metabolism may have implications for the pathogenesis of colonic tumours and ulcerative colitis. The present study examined the effects of psyllium and fat on the enzymes responsible for sphingomyelin metabolism and apoptosis in the colon. Mice were fed control, psyllium-containing (100 g/kg), high-fat (313 g/kg...

BACKGROUND Ingestion of geosediment (further referred as sand) may cause weight loss, diarrhea and acute or recurrent colic in horses. Our aim was to compare the efficacy of three treatment protocols in clearing colonic sand accumulations in clinical patients. This retrospective clinical study consisted of 1097 horses and ponies, which were radiographed for the presence of colonic sand. Horses ...

Controlling hunger between meals is a challenge for many individuals. This manuscript comprises 2 sequential clinical trials investigating the effects of psyllium (Metamucil) on satiety, both using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over design. The first study determined the effects of 3.4 g, 6.8 g, and 10.2 g of psyllium taken before breakfast and lunch for 3 days. The secon...