# Are fiber dietary supplements worthwhile? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2002, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918 "2002-12-31T19:12:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/1 "2002-12-31T19:12:30Z")
I know very well that eating a good diet with lots of fiber is the best way to go. Still, there are a lot of fiber products out there that I would be interested in trying. Usually you’re supposed to mix a teaspoon or so of powder into a glass of water twice a day. Does this type of stuff usually work? If so, what is the best kind? How close do they come to being as beneficial as eating a good diet in the first place? TIA, Haj ---
**Author:** ![theotherangel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df788c/32.png) [@theotherangel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theotherangel)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/2 "2002-12-31T19:49:42Z")
They work quite well as a supplement. The fiber tablets work just as well, and are a heck of a lot easier to swallow. ---
**Author:** ![Lure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@Lure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lure)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/3 "2002-12-31T19:52:59Z")
Most of the brands use \* pyssilium \* (sp?).If you’re seriously thinking of using it GNC or any health food store sells it for about 1/2 the price of the name brands by the generic name. I used it in one of my long ago health food kicks,and tho I was regular on it,I had no problems before without it. TMI warning: It also tended at times to leave a saran wrap type log in the toilet bowl.A friend that used it for regularity seemed to produce more duck quacks than actual solid product.Guess it depends on the indvidual. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/4 "2002-12-31T20:24:51Z")
According to [supplementwatch](http://www.supplementwatch.com/supatoz/supplement.asp?supplementId=123), fiber supplements are a very good idea. They go so far as to recommend them, which is pretty rare. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/5 "2002-12-31T20:25:54Z")
Actually, that’s not entirely accurate–they don’t specifically recommend fiber, but if you read the “value” section from the page I just linked to, you can see where I got confused. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/6 "2002-12-31T20:41:24Z")
If you eat a balanced diet, no additional fiber is necessary. I am not sure if there are ill effects of too much fiber or not. I do know that the daily recommended amount of fiber is only 25 grams. Not much really, if you eat much vegetables and healthy carbs. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/7 "2002-12-31T20:59:45Z")
[From the FDA website](http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS00850.html)\*\* FDA ALLOWS FOODS CONTAINING PSYLLIUM TO MAKE HEALTH CLAIM ON REDUCING RISK OF HEART DISEASE \*\* During this rulemaking, FDA evaluated placebo-controlled studies that tested an intake of 10.2 grams of PSH (about 7 grams of soluble fiber) per day as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. These studies showed consistently significant blood total- and LDL-cholesterol lowering effects. Foods carrying the health claim must provide at least 1.7 grams of soluble fiber from PSH per reference amount customarily consumed of the product. This single-serving size, multiplied by 4 eating occasions per day, totals the 7-gram per day intake of the controlled studies. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/8 "2002-12-31T21:45:06Z")
Fiber is good for you. Most americans don’t get enough. 25 grams may be the minimum recommended allowance, but most people don’t get that much, and this is one of the few cases where more is better (up to a point). If one has regular problems with hemorrhoids, constipation, diarrhea, straining at stool, irritable bowel, irregularity, or just lack of a sunshiny dispostion, I recommend fiber! But start it slow, and add more in slowly. Your body will need to get used to the idea. Soon you will being passing very voluminous formed stools very quickly. Happy new year! Happy new colon! ---
**Author:** ![BeatenMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@BeatenMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeatenMan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/9 "2003-01-01T03:31:10Z")
When i turned 40 I developed hemmoroids and constipation. I use just a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar free fiber and 16oz of water. It got rid of my roids and constipation I feel great now. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/10 "2003-01-01T04:20:18Z")
Try Benefiber. It is more costly than others but it really has no taste, no thickness and no grit. You can put it in coffee and you would never know it was in there. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/11 "2003-01-01T05:05:56Z")
What’s wrong with a bowl of bran and an orange? ---
**Author:** ![Ashkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Ashkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashkicker)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/12 "2003-01-01T06:21:41Z")
All Bran cereal is high in fiber. It’s not real tasty, but it does the job! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/13 "2003-01-01T06:29:53Z")
Happy New Colon?? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/14 "2003-01-01T15:07:49Z")
**sailor** , I personally eat a high fiber cereal twice a day to avoid needing fiber supplements, but it’s an acquired taste. Cackling Goat Bran has too much fat in it for my diet, so I use All-Bran or Fiber One. I eat breakfast as I drive to work. Along with drinking buckets of fluids. Oranges are nice too, but hard to peel and eat while I’m driving. **doc pap** , you’ll feel like you’ve got a brand new colon once you’ve tried eating ColonBlow. Or else you’ll feel like you need one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/15 "2003-01-01T21:57:34Z")
Brown rice, beans, oats, millet, and quinoa as a regular part of diet do quite nicely. Perhaps it sounds hokey, but whole grains give good nutrition, and solve the fiber problem well. Mostly, you get good nutrition for much less than the jacked-up supplement price. OK, back to my corner, now. ---
**Author:** ![Lure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@Lure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lure)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/16 "2003-01-01T23:14:03Z")
> [@](#): > > All Bran cereal is high in fiber. It’s not real tasty, but it does the job! I,OTOH,like All Bran.When I eat it it’s because of the taste,not the bran content.Same goes for shredded wheat and oatmeal. I never eat it for more than 3 or 4 days running,tho.Get tired of 2 a days after awhile 🙂 I eat a lot of complex carbs. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fiber-dietary-supplements-worthwhile/145918/17 "2003-01-02T21:53:30Z")
> [@](#): > > I use All-Bran or Fiber One. I eat breakfast as I drive to work. Wow, Q.–isn’t it tough with the milk?