|
Fiber Boosts
Effects of Heart Drugs, Study Shows
(New Orleans, Reuters Health, 11/9/04)
Dr. Abel Moreyra of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in
New Brunswick, NJ, reports that three servings daily of a
psyllium husk fiber supplement (Metamucil), given to 68
patients for two months, lowered their “bad” (LDL) cholesterol
by 6%, the same reduction that resulted from doubling the dose
of the cholesterol-lowering drug, Zocor (simvastatin). At the
end of 8 weeks, bad cholesterol fell 29% for patients taking
10-mg doses of Zocor and 36% both for those taking either 20
mg doses of Zocor or those taking 10 mg doses of Zocor plus
psyllium. These findings suggest that fiber may be an
alternative for people seeking a safer way to lower
cholesterol. |
Article Summary