How to use psyllium husk (Metamucil) to reduce blood cholesterol levels and reduce statin medication dosages

Do you take cholesterol medications, or are you looking for a way to reduce your cholesterol without using drugs?

Enter psyllium husk. Psyllium husk (the main ingredient in Metamucil) is a non-fermentable fiber that has a host of health benefits.

We will talk about some of these benefits here.

Psyllium husk supplementation (15g/day) reduces LDL cholesterol to a degree SUPERIOR to doubling a dose of simvastatin from 10 mg to 20 mg (1).

This effect could allow a person using a statin to reduce their dosage but achieve a greater benefit.

Indeed, in this study, psyllium husk + 10 mg simvastatin was superior to using 20 mg of simvastatin alone.

Another study—this one a meta-analysis of 31 different studies—shows a remarkably consistent effect of psyllium husk given alone on blood cholesterol (2).

Maintaining optimal LDL cholesterol levels is crucial to preventing cardiovascular disease, which nearly half of men eventually get.

With optimal risk factors, that risk goes down to just 10-15% (3).

Other benefits include reductions in blood glucose in diabetes and prediabetes, increased satiety, and normalization of stool quality (firmer if too soft, softer if too firm) (4).

I use psyllium husk with very-low-dose ezetimibe and rosuvastatin to keep my LDL cholesterol levels optimal.

Always talk with your doctor before making any changes to any prescribed medications.