How Does Metamucil Lower Cholesterol

There are certainly many ways to tackle high cholesterol from eating a healthy diet, exercising, taking statins as prescribed by your doctor and more. However, one of the more interesting ways to help lower your cholesterol is by increasing the amount of fiber in your diet. For many people, Metamucil has become a daily drink to provide plenty of soluble fiber which may actually lower cholesterol significantly in the body.

When taken with or just after meals, it can significantly reduce the amount of cholesterol absorbed into the body and thus allow other treatments or medications to work better.

How Metamucil Works

Metamucil is made up of psyllium which is a soluble fiber. Once it reaches your stomach, it transforms into a gel-type substance which traps some of the cholesterol from the meal in which you just consumed. Trapped in the gel, the cholesterol is then passed through the body without being absorbed and gets pushed out along with all the other waste. This means that by absorbing less cholesterol with your meals, your body can eventually reduce the harmful amount of cholesterol that is left over time.

Obviously, the less cholesterol you consume, the better the Metamucil will work to absorb what is there. This is why following a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet is highly recommended. It is important to take the Metamucil in the proper dosage otherwise complications in the digestive system may occur.

The Proper Dosage of Metamucil

Metamucil comes in a powdered form that mixes with water, juice, tea, smoothies and any type of liquid that is to be consumed. You can also take capsules if you don’t want to mix it in water or eat the wafers which provide all the psyllium that is needed. It is important that you drink a full glass of water no matter what form you take the Metamucil so that you are fully hydrated throughout the day. To take it with meals means that you can keep the dosage to its proper amount and spread throughout the day as well.

Three servings are recommended which breaks down into one tablespoon or two wafers or two capsules at each meal. You can even take capsules that have calcium which means up to five capsules a day. A single dose of Metamucil is about 3 grams of fiber and it is recommended that you take about 7 grams of fiber each day to reduce your high cholesterol.

However, it is important that you start slowly on your intake of Metamucil because the body is not ready for an increase of up to 7 grams per day of soluble fiber, so you’ll want to start slowly and work your way up to avoid any unwanted side effects. If you take too much soluble fiber, you may suffer from feeling bloated, backed up, gassy or even have diarrhea.

So, it is recommended that you begin with just half a dose each day for several days. If you suffer no side effects you can increase that amount to the other half dose a day and then work your way up to the full amount. You may want to consult with your doctor about how much to take during this time so that you can lower your cholesterol count.