Fibersol question, plus psyllium and fiber facts

[toughguy]

I recently bought a bottle of this to help with regularity. It states on the bottle to take with your evening meal.

I know I read somewhere that you should not take other supplements at the same time as your fiber supplement for maximum absorption.

My problem is that after my workouts in the late afternoon, I come home and have a protein, flax oil, glutamine shake. One hour later I take my cal-mag-pot supplement with my dinner. Then before bed, it suggests to have another glutamine serving.

Is this fiber supplement going negate my other supplements that I need to take near the same time and shortly after?

I am getting so overwhelmed, I dont even want to ask when to take my extra anti-oxidants :spin:

[Natrushka]

Toughguy, I know what you mean about finding time to take everythin - it gets stressful some days. And if you should forget to take X at Y time??? :daze:

The fiber really should be taken on it's own, 1.5 - 2 hours outside any meds/supplements. I tend to take mine in some hot water w/ lemon between my morning meals. I've often wondered about how adding it to shakes effects glutamine absoption and will be interested to see if anyone has any information on this.

BTW, at good time to take anti-oxidants is right after you lift - they'll help with free-radicals and with cortisol that is released by the stress of resistance work :)

Nat

[toughguy]

Thanks for your input Nat. If it is not a good idea to take fiber within a couple hours of meds and supplements, wouldn't it also be true then that the vitamins and minerals from your food would not be absorbed? This is really confusing because it says to take with your evening meal. So, if the above is true, any vitamins and minerals you would have gotten from your evening meal would be wasted as well. Ohhhh........... :mad: this is frustrating. The more I learn, the more I need to learn!

[doreen T]

The fiber in psyllium is a different type than in vegetables, fruits and grains. Psyllium is nearly 40% mucilage fiber, which is what gives it the gummy, gooey, glue-y property :daze: The mucilage absorbs water, causing it to swell up and create bulk ... which is why you need to drink LOTS of water with it, or it'll turn into contact cement in yer gut. The other property of mucilage is that it binds with minerals and other elements in the digestive tract, and renders them unabsorbable because they get bound up in the matrix of this unpenetrable mass of gel-like fiber. Calcium and iron are the two minerals most likely to be affected ..

Psyllium also interferes with the absorption of certain medications, in particular hormones (eg, thyroid, birth control, estrogens), salicylates and NSAIDs, digoxin and other heart and blood pressure medications, antibiotics, antidepressants, oral anti-diabetic and anti-seizure drugs.

There was no mention in any literature that psyllium or mucilage fiber interfered with the absorption of amino acids (eg glutamine) or with fats (eg flax).

FiberSol also contains guar gum and pectin, which are soluble fibers as well. They enhance the water-binding effect of the psyllium. Pectin is known to delay the absorption of sugars especially, thus making it somewhat useful for diabetics or hypoglycemics. However, this delayed absorption could also apply to other elements in the diet which you do want to be more quickly absorbed -- such as glutamine, as well as supplements and medications.

It would be wisest to err on the side of caution. Take your fiber supplements 1 hour before, and no less than 1½ hours after taking other supplements or medications if you want to be sure that you're absorbing them completely.

On the subject of the fiber in foods ... Vegetables, fruits and whole grains contain mostly insoluble fiber, which works differently than the mucilage in psyllium. Insoluble fiber is what we call the "roughage" .. bran and the fibrous cell walls of plant foods. This cellulose-type fiber works like a sponge to absorb water and create bulk .. but like a sponge, it also releases the water if necessary. It is less likely to interfere with the absorption of nutrients ... EXCEPT ... If you eat an excessively high-fiber diet, you can lose nutrients in the stools simply because of the speedier transit time.

hth,

Doreen

[toughguy]

Sounds like this girl knows her fiber! I will try to find a gap between meals and supplements to fit the Fibersol in. Thanks :cool:

[Natrushka]

Thanks for the detailed answer, Do :) I think this is one for the Hot Links! thread.

Nat

[KellyJean]

What would an "excessivly high fiber" diet mean, as in grams? I was told about 25g is a healthy amount to be eating.

Also something else...
Ive been having trouble getting enough fiber, i tried Flax-o-meal but found it.. less than flavorful(?). I found a product on netrition.com called Fiber Psyll. Anyone have any experience with this product or know anything about it? I think I may want to give it a whirl. It says it provides 12 grams of fiber per serving and can be taken up to three times a day, which seems a bit too excessive for me. *shrug* I think taking it once day may even help. (Plus it comes in Lemon-Lime.. woOoOoOoo.

[doreen T]

Very high fiber diets (greater than 30g per day) are associated with decreased absorption of and increased elimination of important nutrients ... calcium and other minerals, fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids.

25 grams of fiber per day is widely promoted as the minimum amount we need for health, but this is in association with a high-carb, low-fat diet full of sugary white flour foods, pasta, bread, white rice and white potatoes. Such a higher fiber intake is necessary to move all that glue and sludge along. Wheat bran and the fiber from whole grains is NOT the great panacaea that the cereal manufacturers and grain-marketing boards would have us believe :).

Low-carbers aren't eating the above mentioned foods. 15g fiber per day, derived from a wide-variety of high-fiber vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, broccoli, dark leafy greens etc, low-glycemic fruits such as berries and melon, plus nuts and seeds ... will provide adequate natural fiber to keep the bowel happy. Especially when you're also consuming lots of water, and sufficient fats and oils throughout the day ... these will work with the vegetable fiber to keep things regular :) It's also worth noting that meats and fats leave little residue in the gut when properly digested. I can't speak for the processed low-carb Frankenfoods .. polymerized protein bars, fake pastas, breads and the like.

With very low-carb programs, such as Atkins Induction level or other ketogenic plans, the prescribed carb level may not be enough to permit you to obtain adequate fiber from the diet alone, and so a fiber supplement such as psyllium or ground flax seeds may be beneficial.

Check out the article Low-Carbing and Intestinal Health for more suggestions and ideas. You can find this by clicking on Low Carb Tips from the orange menu bar near the top of the page.

Doreen