30 Oct 2023 A centuries-old fibre supplement entices the Ozempic generation

Psyllium husks, a staple of South Asian medicine (and Banting followers in SA), are catching on in America for all kinds of uses, like easing digestion, curbing appetites and gluten-free baking.

Victor Nevarez had tried dozens of prescription medications and powders to manage his irritable bowel syndrome, and nothing was working. Max Wittek wanted to curb his appetite without relying on drugs like Ozempic. And Rachel Conners was just looking for a way to make chewy cinnamon rolls without any gluten.

They all arrived at the same solution: psyllium husks.

In a wellness economy that revolves around colourfully packaged supplements, boutique fitness classes and celebrity-endorsed diet pills, psyllium husks may seem an unglamourous throwback.

Derived from a shrub native to South Asia, where they have been used for centuries as a digestive aid, the husks look like the bedding found in a hamster cage, taste like sawdust and turn gelatinous when mixed with water.

Yet in the US, they’ve become a hot-selling item. From 2018 to 2022, 249 new psyllium-husk products were released in the country, according to data from the market research company Mintel.

Sales figures for such a splintered category are hard to come by, but a spokeswoman for the mass-market product Metamucil — essentially sweetened, orange-flavoured psyllium-husk powder — said its sales have grown by double-digit percentages over the last several years.

Many of the new products are being put to work in the kitchen. People on low-carbohydrate diets are using psyllium husks to bind meatballs. Home cooks are thickening sauces with them. Gluten-free bakers are using them in breads and cakes.

Psyllium husks are even more of a draw at a moment when many people are looking for inexpensive alternatives to new appetite-suppressing drugs.

Wittek, 33, a software engineer in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, who recently went on a ketogenic diet, has used psyllium husks to make his cauliflower-based pizza crust more filling. Psyllium, he said, “shushes my belly from saying, ‘Please put something in me.’”

An increased awareness of gut health is also driving sales

“Everybody is now cognizant that they aren’t getting enough fibre,” said George Schaeffer, 38, a math professor in San Francisco who started adding psyllium husks to his granola in graduate school to improve his digestion.

Previous generations, he said, weren’t comfortable discussing bowel issues. “Millennials and older Gen Z are totally fine with that stuff. We are looking for ways to improve our lives that are cheap.”

Unlike some more expensive made-for-Instagram health supplements, psyllium husks worked for him.

Dr Pieter Cohen, an internist at Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts, said psyllium husks can be helpful for constipation or diarrhea, but “it’s not a wonder drug,” he said. “Getting enough fiber is important, and the best way to do that is through real foods: fruits and vegetables,” which taste better than psyllium husks and contain other nutrients, he said.

And not all psyllium husk products, he cautioned, are the same. Cohen recommended avoiding those with added flavourings or sweeteners, which can be overly caloric, and taking psyllium husks with plenty of water — too much fibre and not enough water can lead to constipation. He also advised against using psyllium husks as an appetite suppressant — the supplement may curb hunger for a few hours, he said, “but then revs up our appetite a few hours later because we didn’t get any calories.”…..

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