Inulin vs Psyllium: Which Is Better for Gut Health?

What is Fiber and Why is it Important for Gut Health?

To put it in cursory terms: fiber is essential for gut health because it allows for the functional processing of foods, nutrients, and waste material. But there are three specific ways in which fiber is beneficial for gut health:

• It Maintains the Digestive Lining - Dietary fiber contributes to the integrity of your digestive tract’s lining. The lining of your gut can cover about 4,000 square feet according to Harvard Health. So it’s very important to keep this lining intact.
• It Produces Short-Chain Fatty Acids - Short-chain fatty acids can be developed in the digestive system. Short-chain fatty acids are very important to overall health because they influence the immune system and can suppress inflammation. In turn, short-chain fatty acids depend on fiber in the gut. Fiber is processed by beneficial gut bacteria and the end results are short-chain fatty acids.
• It Proliferates Good Gut Bacteria - There are certain bacteria in the gut that help your digestive system function normally. But this bacteria needs to be fed in order to function and regenerate. Dietary fiber is sort of like the favorite food of healthy gut bacteria. So by consuming fiber, you are making sure that the good gut bacteria survive and thrive.

It’s important to understand that inulin and psyllium both contain a good amount of dietary fiber. That’s why taking psyllium and inulin together is a common practice among people with severe digestive problems like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and acid reflux.

But which dietary fiber is better if you have to choose just one? To answer that question, we should first take a look at each type individually.

Understanding Inulin

Inulin is a type of dietary soluble fiber. It is found in many types of natural foods such as garlic, onions, asparagus, jicama, bananas, artichoke, leeks, wild yams, wheat, soybeans, burdock, and chicory root.

In fact, according to the Pubmed staff, inulin is found in more than 36,000 plant species around the world. As a dietary soluble fiber, inulin has a beneficial effect on gut bacteria. Namely, it helps gut bacteria produce fatty acids that benefit the entire body. Here are some more benefits:

• Weight Loss - Inulin may increase feelings of satiety which can help you lose weight.
• Lower Blood Sugar - Inulin fiber may be effective for inhibiting the absorption of glucose. This can help lower blood glucose levels.
• Gut Health - Inulin fiber can also feed good gut bacteria so it has a prebiotic effect on the digestive system.

Understanding Psyllium Husk

Psyllium husk is another kind of soluble fiber that occurs naturally in the plant genus known as Plantago. Psyllium husk is widely used as a commercial laxative in extract form because it absorbs water in the digestive tract and softens the stool.

Products containing psyllium husk are often used to alleviate both constipation and diarrhea as it too has a beneficial effect on gut bacteria. Let’s take a look at a few benefits of psyllium:

Inulin vs. Psyllium: A Comparison

As you can probably tell if you’ve read this far, there are a lot of similarities between inulin and psyllium. But in the following section, we are going to compare the merits of these kinds of fibers as they pertain to specific health concerns:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

In general, psyllium husk is considered a better choice for people who are suffering from IBS. That’s because inulin has been known to cause digestive gases that can sometimes worsen the painful or uncomfortable symptoms of IBS.

On the other hand, psyllium husk can soften the stool and improve digestive function without generating excess gas that can irritate conditions of IBS.

Constipation

In terms of inulin vs psyllium for constipation, again, psyllium is typically more beneficial for the specific condition of constipation because it absorbs moisture and imparts it to the stool. This softens the stool and makes it easier for it to pass through the colon, effectively alleviating conditions of constipation.

Weight Loss

Inulin and psyllium fiber are both beneficial for weight loss but in different ways. For example, inulin fiber is usually attributed to increased feelings of satiety after a meal because it appears to reduce the hormones that typically signal the brain to eat.

On the other hand, psyllium can affect weight loss by acting as a laxative so that the body doesn’t hold on to so much waste matter.

Diarrhea

Inulin Vs Psyllium for Diarrhea - When talking about inulin vs psyllium for diarrhea, once again, psyllium is probably the better choice. That’s because psyllium is essentially a bulking agent. It combines with water to form softer, more solid stools that can pass easier through the colon. So it can help transform the loose stool attributed to diarrhea into more solid, healthy stools.