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Open WellbeingWhat the studies actually measured

Cholesterol and blood fats

Psylliumand LDL cholesterol

Both sources here measured lower LDL cholesterol.

How sure anyone can be

Moderate certainty, level 3 of 4

Further research may change this.

The most certain of the two findings here; each record carries its own.

The numbers reported

One source’s range, drawn against its own line of no difference and scaled to its own numbers.

-0.38-0.33 mmol/L-0.27

This range stays on one side of the no-difference line.

Bar the confidence interval — the range the true effect is likely to sit inNotch the number the source reportedLine where there would be no difference at all

Two sources, newest first

What we read is the published abstract, not the full paper, so a blank below may still be printed in the paper itself. A fixed rule worked this out from the source’s own fields. Nobody checked this rating by hand.

  • Systematic review, 2018

    Moderate certainty, level 3 of 4

    Effect of psyllium (Plantago ovata) fiber on LDL cholesterol and alternative lipid targets, non-HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

    Am J Clin Nutr. 2018;108(5):922-932. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqy115. PMID:30239559.

    Number reported
    -0.33 mmol/L
    Which way it went
    Lower
    Likely range
    -0.38 to -0.27
    Source’s own words
    mmol/L LDL cholesterol mean difference vs control
    Who was studied
    Adult
    Compared with
    control (placebo or diet control) arm of randomized trials
    Amount taken
    10.2 g/d (median pooled dose)
    For how long
    21 days (upper bound: Not in the abstract)
    Disagreement between studies
    Cochran's Q and I2 assessed; GRADE moderate quality, downgraded for inconsistency (I2 value not given in the abstract)
    Kind of record
    Journal article
    How this rating was reachedstarts at High, one step down: imprecision
    1. Starts at High
    2. Imprecision brought it down to Moderatethe abstract does not state how many participants were pooledNot in the abstract
    3. Ends at ModerateOne step down.
    Checked, nothing to step it down for
    risk of bias and indirectness
    Inconsistency
    No disagreement reported, and no count of studies behind it

    Imprecision stops at the first check that applies; others may apply too.

    AI review could not confirm it — an AI agent re-read this finding against the saved source and at least one check failed. The batch record names the check and quotes the sentence that caused the doubt. No person read it.

    Read the abstract on PubMed

  • Systematic review, 2009

    Low certainty, level 2 of 4

    Time- and dose-dependent effect of psyllium on serum lipids in mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia: a meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials.

    Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009;63(7):821-7. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2008.49. PMID:18985059.

    Number reported
    -0.278 mmol/L
    Which way it went
    Lower
    Likely range
    -0.312 to -0.213
    Source’s own words
    mmol/L LDL cholesterol, mean difference vs placebo (source prints the reduction as a positive lowering)
    Who was studied
    Adult with dyslipidemia
    Compared with
    placebo
    Amount taken
    3 to 20.4 g/d
    For how long
    14 days (upper bound: Not in the abstract)
    Disagreement between studies
    Not in the abstract
    Kind of record
    Journal article
    How this rating was reachedstarts at High, 2 steps down: risk of bias and imprecision
    1. Starts at High
    2. Risk of bias brought it down to Moderatethe abstract reports no risk-of-bias or quality appraisal, so study limitations cannot be ruled outNot in the abstract
    3. Imprecision brought it down to Lowthe abstract does not state how many participants were pooledNot in the abstract
    4. Ends at Low2 steps down.
    Checked, nothing to step it down for
    indirectness
    Inconsistency
    No disagreement reported, and no count of studies behind it

    Imprecision stops at the first check that applies; others may apply too.

    AI-reviewed & signed — an AI agent re-read this finding against the saved source and checked that the quote, the numbers, the units and the direction match it. No person read it. The owner authorised the agent to sign the batch with the owner's key, and every build rechecks that signature against these exact bytes.

    Read the abstract on PubMed

What is still missing from these readings

  • Two do not say how many people took part.

Something nobody wrote down is never a zero and never a guess.

Still to read for Psyllium

Ten of the 19 things on our list for Psyllium have no reading here yet:

  • ApoB / ApoA1 Ratio
  • Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1)
  • Fasting insulin
  • Fructosamine
  • HDL cholesterol
  • High-sensitivity CRP
  • HOMA-IR
  • Stool frequency
  • Triglycerides
  • Waist circumference

Still to read means nobody here has got to it, not that it was tried and did nothing or that no research exists. A pairing on no list is not a gap: we never set out to read it.

Read next

This is a library, not advice. No recommendation, no dose, no diagnosis, no ranking. We never ask about your symptoms, and nothing here is tailored to you.