Psyllium for pediatric hypercholesterolemia

Canadian Medical Association Journal 1996; 154: 863

Source: Davidson MH, Dugan LD, Burns JH et al: A psyllium-enriched cereal for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia in children: a controlled, double-blind, crossover study. Am J Clin Nutr 1996; 63: 96-102

Researchers in Chicago evaluated the effect of the consumption of psyllium, a water-soluble fibre, on serum lipid levels in 25 children aged 6 to 18 years with hypercholesterolemia. The children consumed 68 g daily of a psyllium-enriched cereal (containing 6.4 g of soluble fibre) or a control cereal as part of a low-fat diet for 6 weeks. A 6-week washout period was followed by a 6-week crossover period. The total serum cholesterol levels were unchanged after the control periods but were decreased after the treatment periods; this was mainly due to a modest but significant decrease in low-density lipoprotein levels. Because psyllium is easily added to a variety of foods it may represent an alternative to bile-acid-binding resins in the treatment of pediatric hypercholesterolemia.

| CMAJ March 15, 1996 (vol 154, no 6) |