Question about SF/IF supplements
#187757 - 06/21/05 09:03 AM
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So I'm wondering how I can safely add more IF into my diet. I seem to remember that Heather suggests Metameucil as a possible fiber supplement and may even take it herself. That confuses me because psyllium is mostly IF, is it not? Seems that taking a big dose of IF with water on an empty stomach would be a nightmare for IBS folks.
Part of the reason I ask is that the only fiber supplement that seems to work well for me in terms of increasing stool frequency is called FiberSmart, which is a powdered blend of flax and borage fiber. It's a combo of SF and IF, but I sometimes wonder if the IF is irritating my gut.
Any ideas about this?
Thanks,
Chris
P.S. As I mentioned in a recent post, my GI doc prescribed Zelnorm with Misoprostol for "C". He says the combo of those two meds works really well to stimulate motility, and once that happens he wants to wean me off of both. We'll see.
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Psyllium is a SFS, BUT is the most harsh one around...which is why some C's find it works best.
What SFSs have you tried and at what doses?
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According to this FiberSmart page, FiberSmart is "about" a 1 to 1 ratio of SF to IF. According to Heather's Soluble Fiber FAQ, Metamucil is a blend, also - 2 parts SF to 1 part IF.
The greater proportion of SF might make Metamucil easier to tolerate than FiberSmart. I would think you could achieve the same effect by mixing a pure Soluble Fiber SFS into the FiberSmart in whatever proportion seems reasonable to you.
FiberSmart contains fructooligosacchides (FOS). I don't know what kind of FOS it contains, but - if I'm reading what I'm finding correctly - inulin is a FOS and in the FAQ I refer to above, Heather specifically mentions psyllium and inulin as ingredients "which can seriously worsen" bloating and gas in some people with IBS. Since FiberSmart contains FOS and Metamucil contains psyllium, this would seem to leave you between a rock and a hard place.
Perhaps you could switch to a pure Soluble Fiber SFS (non-FOS) and add more IF to your diet by eating higher IF foods, pureed if necessary to be easier on your digestion. You could then eat SF food or take a pure SF supplement first, followed by whatever IF you choose to eat. Hopefully, this would result in your digestive system being triggered gently by the SF before being "revved up" by the IF.
That's the theory, anyhow, but as Yogi Berra so brilliantly put it, "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is."
HTH.
--------------------
[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Great advice, Sand. Lots of SFS brands have some IF in them too, as Sand showed.
Re: FOS - FOS is actually (and I think I'm right here) a PREbiotic - i.e. a substance that encourages a healthy gut environment, one that's easier for 'good' bacteria (PRObiotics) to grow in - which is why you quite often find acidophilus and FOS in the same pill. Heather's Acacia is a prebiotic fiber as well, though not in the form of FOS or inulin (I think Acacia is just naturally prebiotic...)
Inulin, like psyllium, CAN be really problematic for some people. That said, some people on these boards (like Casey aka atomic rose, I THINK) find that inulin is really helpful for them.
So yeah, kind of individual. (I LOVE that Yogi Berra quote btw Sand!  )
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Yes, thank you for this clarification. I was aware of the FiberSmart profile but surprised to learn that Metameucil is 2:1 SF/IF. I'll keep experimenting. I like the idea of adding a bit of Acacia or other SF to the FiberSmart dose. Also, I always take FiberSmart with a large dose of SF food - either on rice chex cereal with rice or almond milk or in a banana/papaya smoothie or something like that.
Chris
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Benefiber, Citrucell (which was very effective at one point), Metameucil, Acacia, FiberSmart.
Don't remember doses on most. Might have to go back and try them again at this point.
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