The Effect of Psyllium Husk Isbgol in constipated

 The Effect of Psyllium Husk Isbgol in constipated

Psyllium is a widely used treatment 

for constipation. 

It traps water in the intestine increasing stool water,

 easing defaecation and altering the colonic environment.

 We aimed to assess the impact of psyllium on faecal microbiota, whose key role in gut physiology is being

 increasingly recognised.

 We performed two randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trials

 comparing 7 days of psyllium with a placebo (maltodextrin) in 8 healthy volunteers and 16 constipated patients

 respectively. We measured the patients’ gastrointestnal (GI) transit, faecal water content,

 short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and the stool microbiota composition. 

While psyllium supplement had a small but significant effect on the microbial composition of healthy adults

 (increasing Veillonella and decreasing Subdoligranulum), 

in constipated subjects there were greater effects on the microbial composition (increased Lachnospira, Faecalibacterium, 

Phascolarctobacterium, Veillonella and Sutterella and decreased uncultured Coriobacteria and Christensenella) and alterations in the levels of acetate and propionate. 

We found several taxa to be associated with altered GI transit, 

SCFAs and faecal water content in these patients.

 Significant increases in three genera known to produce butyrate, Lachnospira, Roseburia and Faecalibacterium, correlated with increased faecal water.

 In summary, psyllium supplementation increased

 stool water and this was associated with

 significant changes in microbiota, most marked in constipated patients.

Ref

Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Jan 20;20(2):433. doi: 10.3390/ijms20020433

The Effect of Psyllium Husk on Intestinal Microbiota in Constipated Patients and Healthy Controls

Jonna Jalanka 1,2, Giles Major 2, Kathryn Murray 2, Gulzar Singh 2, Adam Nowak 3, Caroline Kurtz 4, Inmaculada Silos-Santiago 5, Jeffrey M Johnston 6, Willem M de Vos 7, Robin Spiller 2,*