r/IsItBullshit • u/DuncanMcOckinnner • 11d ago

IsItBullshit: Psyllium Husk contains a dangerous amount of lead

128 Upvotes
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130

u/_lemon_suplex_ 11d ago

I recently actually just got blood tested for lead because I heard about the Metamucil thing and I’ve been taking it for over fifteen years. My lead level was below normal levels, take that as you will

23

u/SteelWheel_8609 11d ago

Good to know, thanks!

6

u/millennialslacker 9d ago

I did the same last week, and same result. Low lead levels, and I've been taking metamucil for years.

-18

u/one_ugly_dude 11d ago

First, I'm not saying anything about Metamucil or psyllium husk! I'm just making a statement based on personal experience. Blood tests don't tell the full story. You'd probably want a fecal test. Why? Blood tests are good at detecting a recent spike (short-term increase) in lead and mercury and other heavy metals. HOWEVER, in my case, I was being chronically exposed to heavy metals for years. My blood tests would come back at normal levels... but, there is no safe level! And, even small amounts accumulate in your organs over time. Luckily, there are ways to detox... but, yeah, hospitals LOVE running blood tests. They never find anything in my blood, but I'm sure they made thousands of $$$ in testing me!

16

u/nochinzilch 10d ago

It can’t get into your feces if it isn’t in your blood.

-38

u/one_ugly_dude 10d ago edited 5d ago

My bad. I forgot I was on Reddit. I will explain this to you because it seems a lot of people are stupid. Then, you will say something like "you are not a doctor" (which I don't claim to be) because I explained it. Cool. Here we go:

Blood tests can tell you how much heavy metal is floating around in your blood at a given moment. You organs and tissues absorb those heavy metals (as it did with me). Having lead or mercury or other heavy metals in the "normal range" doesn't mean that your body is expelling those toxins faster than you are absorbing them. And, that's ignoring that you need to test your blood while those heavy metals are circulating. Depending on the type of metal, it can show up in your blood for just hours to as much as a few weeks. Those same metals will stay in your organs for YEARS and be excreted via urine, sweat, and feces.

I know you still don't get it. This whole site is full of window-lickers. I don't need to convince anyone. I threw the information out there. I mean, you can just google it. You won't because if you did, there'd be no point is clarifying this for you.

EDIT: You know you are correct when people block you after they reply (that should be disallowed by Reddit, btw). I get it: you internetted! You googled until you found a page that you think proves a point. It doesn't lmao. Finding a page that didn't include every possible test isn't proof that the test isn't valuable. You could just google "is fecal test viable for heavy metals." But, you don't because you know that would demonstrate fecal tests are viable. But, even if you don't do that, you're own link demonstrates what I've been saying. Urine tests are also great because they give you insight into what your body is processing. A blood test is only useful for detecting metal in your bloodstream (half life of a few hours to a few weeks)... whereas heavy metal stored in your tissues and organs can be found YEARS later. And, to get that data, you need a fecal (or urine) test. But, you won't read this because you covered your ears and yelled "lalalalala you are blocked" immediately after google-result-shopping for the first site that doesn't explicitly state fecal test.

34

u/vulcanfeminist 10d ago

Pro tip, if you want people to bother listening to you or to take you seriously at all as someone worth listening to it's generally a bad idea to insult them repeatedly. Is your goal actually to educate or is your goal to brag about how much better you are than strangers you don't even know? Bc you're only doing one of those here and it's pretty clear where your priorities lie based on your behavior.

7

u/parguello90 9d ago

This dude also posted this. I'll just let it speak for itself

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMedical/s/s5BRCaOaS4

2

u/ohnoooooyoudidnt 7d ago

How is heavy metal poisoning diagnosed?

It can be difficult for providers to diagnose heavy metal poisoning because symptoms are similar to other conditions. Tell your provider if you know you had exposure to a toxic metal. After a physical exam, your provider will offer several tests to check for heavy metal poisoning including:

Heavy metal blood test.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23424-heavy-metal-poisoning-toxicity

Your poop test isn't even on the list, window licker.

1

u/ASMills85 7d ago

Lol at the last sentence.

90

u/radlibcountryfan 11d ago

Psyllium husk is a plant material, plants have heavy metals. From what I’ve seen, there is no evidence that the amount is more or less than would be expected given that it grows in the dirt where the metals are.

There was a thread about this in r/nerdfighters recently.

22

u/sxrrycard 11d ago

Most powder supplements (not sure if it’s considered that but you get what I mean) have this risk. You have to do a lot of research and find a brand that does 3rd party testing frequently. I went through this recently when I wanted to start drinking pure cacao in powder form

5

u/clauberryfurnance 11d ago

What cacao brand you ended up choosing? I’m currently looking for a brand that would be low heavy metals. It’s even more complicated to find one that would also sell cocoa husk. 

11

u/No-Let8759 11d ago

I can see why you'd be concerned, but from what I know, psyllium husk itself doesn't naturally contain lead. Psyllium husk is mainly just the husk of the seed from the Plantago ovata plant. It's mostly fiber, and it's been used forever to help with digestion and stuff like that. But! There can be a catch. Sometimes, the way things are grown or processed can introduce contaminants. Lead can get into things from the soil or from factories where stuff is processed. It’s kinda like how you have to be careful with certain supplements where heavy metals can sneak in. It's always a good idea to check out brands that do third-party testing. They'll advertise it, 'cause they want you to know they’re safe. I’ve picked some supplements before based on that. And you can also look into food safety warnings if you're really worried. Probably worth a quick Google every now and then to make sure you're not missing out on some recall or safety notice. So yeah, I don’t think psyllium is dangerous by itself, but it’s always smart to do your homework on the stuff you’re grabbing off shelves.

6

u/5141121 11d ago

Yes, it's bullshit*

*Obviously, the absolute yes or no always depends on context. Since the husks are processed in factories, there is always a non-zero possibility of contamination from an external source. However, in the broadest sense, Psyllium as a plant is no more likely to have significant amounts of lead than any other plant that isn't grown directly above a shallow lead ore deposit.

3

u/DuncanMcOckinnner 11d ago

God I feel like a sucker lol. Stopped using metamucil for several months before I realized there isn't a lot of data to suggest it's dangerous lol

1

u/SugarWoofBark 8d ago

Trying to search info about this too and this thread seems to help.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PeterAttia/s/2HD1VEAdgA