# Fiber in Splenda and Citrucel the same? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiber-in-splenda-and-citrucel-the-same/585035 "2011-06-10T22:07:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dsalinas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@dsalinas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dsalinas)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiber-in-splenda-and-citrucel-the-same/585035/1 "2011-06-10T22:07:30Z")
Is the 2 grams of fiber I get from 2 packets of Splenda with fiber the same as the 2 grams of fiber in a heaping tablespoon of Citrucel? I’m hoping the answer is yes but if it is I have another question. When the doctor told me to start drinking a glass of Citrucel daily and I said I preferred to use the Splenda with a gram of added fiber per packet, why did she say “Even if you use 6 packets, that’s not near enough. You need the Citrucel.” ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiber-in-splenda-and-citrucel-the-same/585035/2 "2011-06-10T22:28:57Z")
The fiber in Splenda in soluble fiber and the fiber in Citrucel is not. They are not the same, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![dsalinas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@dsalinas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dsalinas)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiber-in-splenda-and-citrucel-the-same/585035/3 "2011-06-10T22:45:17Z")
Aw well, even if it’s not what I wanted I’m happy to be less ignorant. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![dsalinas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@dsalinas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dsalinas)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiber-in-splenda-and-citrucel-the-same/585035/4 "2011-06-10T23:13:03Z")
Hold the phone! I went to citrucels FAQ page [Methylcellulose Fiber Products | Citrucel](http://www.citrucel.com/Ch5_FAQ.aspx) and stumbled on to this, "What is the difference between the psyllium fiber in Metamucil and the SmartFiber in Citrucel with SmartFiber? Fiber is the non-digestible portion of plant foods that plays a critical role in digestion. There are two different categories that all fiber products fall into: 1) soluble or insoluble, and 2) fermentable or non-fermentable. Soluble fiber dissolves in water, whereas insoluble fiber does not. The fiber in Citrucel with SmartFiber is 100% soluble; the psyllium fiber in Metamucil is not 100% soluble." I checked the label on the splenda and it is indeed soluble fiber. I’m still confused. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiber-in-splenda-and-citrucel-the-same/585035/5 "2011-06-10T23:38:03Z")
If that fiber is so smart, how come it always ends up in the shit? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiber-in-splenda-and-citrucel-the-same/585035/6 "2011-06-11T02:12:43Z")
And the two types are beneficial in different ways. [Dietary fiber - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_fiber) (there’s a nice table near the bottom, showing the benefits). Insoluble fiber makes the poop factory run more smoothly. Soluble works on blood sugar levels, lowers cholesterol, and may help prevent colorectal cancer. So you should use one product or the other (or both), or get the fiber via your food, depending on which sort of help you need. ---
**Author:** ![dsalinas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@dsalinas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dsalinas)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiber-in-splenda-and-citrucel-the-same/585035/7 "2011-06-11T12:39:25Z")
But the question is, > [@dsalinas](#): > > Is the 2 grams of fiber I get from 2 packets of Splenda with fiber the same as the 2 grams of fiber in a heaping tablespoon of Citrucel? " They both say they’re soluble fiber and one serving = 2 grams. I’m going to ask Splenda and Citrucel and see if they will answer me. I’ll let you know. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiber-in-splenda-and-citrucel-the-same/585035/8 "2011-06-12T01:46:57Z")
> [@dsalinas](#): > > But the question is, > They both say they’re soluble fiber and one serving = 2 grams. I’m going to ask Splenda and Citrucel and see if they will answer me. I’ll let you know. Not sure what the confusion is: you’re now talking about 3 products: Metamucil, Citrucel, and Splenda. The Metamucil is nonsoluble (from your own posting), while the other two are both soluble, right? Why the doc insisted the Citrucel vs the Splenda, I don’t know - but it sounds like you’re talking equivalent quantities. Again, however, depending on why you’ve been advised to take extra fiber, that would explain why you need soluble vs insoluble. The Citrucel is methylcellulose. I can’t find the type of soluble fiber in Splenda anywhere on their site but it does say it’s soluble. I would have to assume that the two would be equivalent, if you use enough to get the same number of grams of fiber. ---
**Author:** ![dsalinas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@dsalinas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dsalinas)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiber-in-splenda-and-citrucel-the-same/585035/9 "2011-06-14T23:53:33Z")
This from Citrucel: “All of our Citrucel® with SmartFiber® powder products (Regular Orange, Sugar-Free Orange) contain two grams of methylcellulose (soluble fiber) per dose. We can only speak of our product and therefore we are unable to respond to your question about the type of fiber in another product or how it compares to our Citrucel.”