Does psyllium affect digestive health?

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    Last Updated: April 23, 2025

    Psyllium positively affects digestive health by increasing water resorption, which helps alleviate constipation and improve bowel movement frequency and stool consistency. Additionally, it may relieve symptoms of digestive conditions such as ulcerative colitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

    Because psyllium (15–25 grams per day over 5–15 days) increases water resorption, which increases fecal weight and makes stools easier to pass, it is typically used to treat constipation.[1][2][3][4] Meta-analyses on the clinical effects of psyllium (10.2–40 grams per day over 2 to 8 weeks) for chronic constipation suggest that psyllium is effective for improving bowel movement frequency, stool consistency, and straining severity when compared with a control intervention.[5][6]

    Additional clinical studies suggest that psyllium may also help relieve some symptoms of digestive conditions. After a year of consuming psyllium seeds (20 grams per day), people with ulcerative colitis saw sustained remission and an increase in fecal butyrate comparable to standard medication therapy.[7] Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease were also clinically improved by taking psyllium husk (15 grams per day) for 10 days.[8]