Recent study revealed that soluble fiber from psyllium husk is more affective in treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as compared to the insoluble type contained in bran products. Psyllium husk can help in improving irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.

C.J. Bijkerk, MD, of University Medical Center in Utrecht, and colleagues reached at the findings after analyzing data collected from 275 patients with established or newly developed IBS. 56 percent of these patients suffer from constipation-dominant form of IBS.

In the recent study, these IBS patients were randomly divided in three groups. First group was given psyllium, second was given bran and third was given placebo.

Each group was asked to eat 10 g of the supplement assigned to them, without any change in other aspects of their diet. Rice flour was given as the placebo.

It was found the one out of every four patients in the psyllium group reported a fortnight's relief from abdominal pain or discomfort. Many study subjects dropped out in bran group as the symptoms worsened.

Bijkerk and colleagues found that Psyllium was most effective in patients with a positive diagnosis of IBS based on the Rome II criteria however it also reduced symptoms in suspected cases of IBS.