Benefiber for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Benefiber in the Past
In reviewing the statistics for this growing blog, I notice that one of the most frequently used keywords is Benefiber. I imagine that people are checking out whether Benefiber is a good choice for a soluble fiber. Indeed, there used to be three soluble fibers on the market that I could recommend; Heather’s Organic Acacia Tummy Fiber ™, FiberSure ™, and Benefiber ™. I have used Benefiber myself, and my doctor recommended it at one time.
BUT
At the time I could make these positive statements, Benefiber ™ consisted entirely of processed Guar Gum, one of the group of PREbiotics that shared the benefits of soluble fiber. I searched for ingredients of Benefiber on the web and every listing said the main ingredient was Guar Gum. I know that the Benefiber I have seen on the shelf at my local–across the street, easy to do research–CVS has maltodextrin as its main ingredient. Have I gone crazy? No. I checked with Amazon.com for an up-to-date listing. The ingredients are “Wheat Dextrin. Gluten Free (Less than 10 ppm Gluten).” Hmm. So maybe it’s okay. But is it the product for which Novartis — who brought us Zelnorm ™ — got FDA approval. That FDA approval figured large in my doctor’s recommendation for Benefiber.
Novartis
Novartis simply has not updated any of its own or others’ listings of ingredients for Benefiber. I want to be sarcastic here, but won’t. To read more about the switch, see this review at IBS Tales, http://www.irritable-bowel-syndrome.ws/benefiber.htm. .
This Blog Withdraws Approval
Based on the unannounced switch and the negative customer review on IBS Tales, I am withdrawing approval for Benefiber of the Wheat Dextrin kind. As much as possible, when I can, I’ll go back and change earlier posts to reflect the change in the product.
Feedback
What is your feeling about Benefiber? Do you like and use the new, wheat-dextrin product? Did you notice the change?