Page 14
The Willner Window Product Reference Catalog, Spring 2016
since 1911
• Willner Chemists •
the nutritional supplement professionals
I have explained the differences between
“Drug Store” vitamins and “Health Food”
vitamins in the past, both in articles and on
over the air when we were still brodcasting
our radio program, The Willner Window.
Some of that information bears repeating, as
it pertains to many products, not just vita-
mins.
Fiber supplements is a good example. A
recent article by Jane Brody, in the New York
Times brought this category to mind. Fiber
supplements can be very helpful in prevent-
ing and treating many types of health prob-
lems. Here are some examples:
Heart Health (High Cholesterol, High
Blood Pressure)
“Soluble fiber, such as psyllium husks, oat
bran and gums, provide benefits for heart
health. Numerous double-blind studies and
epidemiological surveys have shown that
dietary fiber has normalizing effects on cho-
lesterol and blood lipids, with benefits for
heart health. As Kinosian and Eisenberg
wrote many years ago in the Journal of the
American Medical Association, “A broad
public health approach to lowered choles-
terol levels by additional dietary modifica-
tion, such as with soluble fiber, may be pre-
ferred to a medically oriented campaign that
focuses on drug therapy.”
(JAMA, 1988; 259(15):2249-54)”
Regularity (Constipation and Diarrhea)
“Everyone” knows that fiber helps promote
regularity and can help reduce the overuse
of stimulant laxatives, but not enough people
act on that knowledge. Dietary fiber, espe-
cially psyllium husk fiber, is a gentle long-
term solution for constipation. Easier elimi-
nation is one of those little things in life that
can make a huge difference in quality of life
for both the elderly and the young. Dietary
fiber even improves the tone of the muscles
that surround the colon and provide the
action of peristalsis. Better muscle tone helps
people get off the stimulant laxative habit
and promotes regularity for a lifetime.
Regularity means not only lack of constipa-
tion but also fewer issues with loose stools.
Many doctors now recommend psyllium
husk fiber for people who have loose stools
because psyllium husks act as a bowel nor-
malizer. With regular use, psyllium husks
absorb excess water in the colon and help
bring bowel movements back to normal.”
Diabetes (Blood Sugar Control)
“Dietary fiber helps to maintain blood
sugar levels within the normal range. Many
people are concerned with maintaining a
healthy blood sugar balance without the up
and down spikes in blood sugar that stress
the body. Consuming more bulking fiber
slows the passage of food through the small
intestine, where sugars and carbohydrates
are digested. This normalizes digestive func-
tion and reduces blood sugar spikes.”
Overweight (Weight Loss)
“Dietary fiber plays an important role in
weight maintenance. High fiber foods help
promote satiety, or a feeling of fullness. Fiber
supplements can also provide this benefit
when taken a few minutes before a meal or
with food. Because fiber improves the diges-
tion of food and reduces sugar ups and
downs, it makes people less likely to feel
hungry between meals. Thus, fiber supple-
ments can be a powerful tool for helping
people to lose weight or maintain weight.”
Colon and Digestive Health
“Dietary fiber supports colon health in
numerous ways. The bulking activity of fiber
absorbs excess bile acids, speeds transit time
through the colon and holds potential toxins
in suspension, minimizing the opportunity
for harm. Soluble fiber and nutrients like
FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides) promote the
growth of beneficial probiotics that improve
digestion of nutrients, acidify the colon, ease
elimination and protect the lining of the
colon. Numerous studies have shown that
soluble fiber, especially psyllium husk fiber,
normalizes the bowel and makes life much
easier for people with digestive upset.”
There are different types of fiber soluble
fiber (such as psyllium, oat bran, FOS, gums,
etc) and insoluble fiber (wheat bran). Talk to
the pharmacists and nutritionists at Willner
Chemists for guidance on which type is best
for you. The purpose of this article is to
explore the differences between fiber sup-
plements you can buy in the mass market
(drug stores, grocery stores, etc) and those
that are sold in health food stores, nutrition-
ally oriented pharmacies, etc.
There is an important difference. Let’s look
first at the ingredient listings from severl
products I examined in mass market retail-
ers.
(1) Meta Mucil “100% Natural Psyllium
Husk” Daily Fiber Supplement, Sugar-Free,
Berry Smooth.
Ingredients: Psyllium Husk, Maltodextrin,
Artificial Flavor, Citric Acid, Malic Acid,
Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, Red 40,
Blue 1.
(2) Member’s Mark (Sam’s Club): Fiber
Powder, 100% Nastural Psyllium Husk, Sugar
Free, Orange Smooth.
Ingredients: Psyllium Husk, Maltodextrin,
Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Orange
Flavor, Silica, Aspartame, FDC Yellow 6.
(3) Kirkland (Costco): Natural Psyllium Fiber,
100% Natural Psyllium Husk Fiber, Smooth
Texture, Sugar Free, Natural and Artificial
Orange Flavor.
Ingredients: Psyllium Husk, Maltodextrin,
Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Orange
Flavor, Aspartame, Silicon Dioxide,
Sucralose, FDC Yellow #6.
Please note the following:
First, all of these products contain artificial
flavors, artificial sweeteners aspartame, ace-
sulfame—and artificial colors Red 40, Blue 1,
Yellow 6. (In all fairness, they probably have
non sugar free versions with sugar rather
than artificial sweeteners. Second, I will
point out that I strongly suspect that many
people see the large print “Natural” and
“100% Natural Psyllium Husk Fiber,” and
mistakenly think that the product is “natural”
which is obviously not the case.
Now, let’s look at the ingredient statement
on a similar product sold in health food
stores and nutritionally oriented pharmacies.
I am going to use Yerba Prima as an exam-
ple. Yerba Prima is a well established compa-
ny specializing in fiber supplements, among
other products. We can start with their
“Psyllium Husk Powder.”
(1) Yerba Prima Psyllium Husk Powder.
Ingredients: Psyllium husks.
Willner Product Code: 12118
=12118
Yep. That's it. No fillers, no maltodextrin,
citric acid, silica, etc. No sweeteners sugar or
artificial sweeteners. No flavors natural or
artificial. No artificial colors and dyes. Just
pure, psyllium husk fiber. Now certainly, you
probably will not want to just mix this with
water and slug it down like you can with the
above products. It certainly will not taste as
good, and look as colorful! But what's wrong
with mixing it with juice "Juice, water, soy or
rice drink, and milk are all good with
Psyllium Husks Powder," according to Yerba
Prima. At least you have a choice.
(2) Yerba Prima
also has a product contain-
ing a mixture of several types of fiber. I've
mentioned it in the past Daily Fiber Formula.
Here is the ingredient statement for this
product:
Ingredients: Psyllium seed husks, oat bran,
acacia gum, soy fiber (non-GMO), apple
fiber.
Note: The carbohydrate in this product is
primarily non-digestible fiber; digestible car-
bohydrate is only 1/2 gram per serving.
Willner Product Code: 12100
=12100
Now, to be fair, let's look at the ingredients
in a "sugar-free," flavored version of a daily
fiber powder supplement from Yerba Prima,
and compare this to the mass market prod-
ucts listed above:
(3) Daily Fiber Formula, Orange Flavor
Ingredients: Psyllium seed husks, acacia gum,
Gluten Free oat bran, Non-GMO soy fiber,
apple fiber, natural tropical orange flavor, cit-
ric acid, stevia extract, annatto-turmeric
color.
Willner Product Code: 18630
=18630
Interesting, isn't it? Note that there are still
no artificial colors instead, they use natural
color. Also note that instead of artificial
sweeteners, they use stevia, and natural
sweetener. And, instead of artificial flavoring,
they use only a natural orange flavor.
Enough said, I hope. I hope we will see
you at Willner Chemists, where we will be
happy to discuss the various types of fiber
supplements, and show you a selection of
those products that are best suited to your
needs, from any of numerous product lines
we carry.
Don Goldberg
A link to all of the Yerba Prima products
ba%20prima
Artificial Colors, Flavors, Sweeteners:
The Fiber Connection
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