Explainer 1 min read

Psyllium Husk and PHGG: What Each Fibre Actually Does

Psyllium husk works fast and works well for many people. PHGG (partially hydrolysed guar gum) takes a different route to a similar result, and it's one of the fibres in our own blend.

Reviewed by our gut-microbiome scientists Built on 10+ years of MIT research

The short answer

Psyllium husk forms a gel that bulks and softens stool, relieving constipation and diarrhoea for many people. PHGG works differently. It's slowly fermented by your gut bacteria, easing symptoms while also feeding your microbiome, which is why it's one of the fibres we use.

Psyllium is well tolerated by most people, including many with IBS.
PHGG is slowly fermented in the colon, giving it both symptom-relief and prebiotic benefits.
We include PHGG in our Metabolic Regulator blend for exactly this reason.

Psyllium husk: fast, mechanical relief

Psyllium husk absorbs water and forms a gel in your gut, bulking and softening stool. It works quickly and is well tolerated by most people, including many with IBS. What it doesn't do much of is feed your gut bacteria. It passes through largely unfermented.

PHGG: relief that also feeds your gut bacteria

Partially hydrolysed guar gum (PHGG), sometimes sold under the brand name Sunfiber, takes a slower route. Your gut bacteria ferment it gradually, easing bloating and irregularity while also producing the compounds that support a healthy gut lining. It's one of the five fibres in our Metabolic Regulator blend for exactly this reason.

Psyllium husk

Bulks and softens

Forms a gel in the gut, relieving symptoms quickly. Passes through largely unfermented, so it doesn't feed your gut bacteria much.

PHGG (Sunfiber)

Relieves and feeds

A slowly fermented fibre that eases bloating and irregularity while also feeding beneficial gut bacteria. It's one of the five fibres in our Metabolic Regulator blend.

Psyllium and PHGG aren't competing solutions. They just work differently. Fast, mechanical relief is psyllium's strength. Relief that also feeds your gut bacteria is why PHGG is part of our blend.

Already part of the blend

PHGG is one of the five prebiotic fibres in our Metabolic Regulator blend, chosen because it eases digestive symptoms while also feeding your gut bacteria, not just one or the other. One spoonful, stirred into whatever you're already having.

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