Where it sits in the atlas: Metamucil sits under digestion because Procter & Gamble markets it first for regularity. The canister also prints lines about cholesterol and blood sugar, each marked either as the seller's structure/function statement or as an FDA-authorized health-claim footnote; we treat every one of them as the seller's position and check the panel and the evidence for a bulk-forming fiber on their own terms.
The short version
- One rounded teaspoon (5.8 g) supplies 3 g of dietary fiber, of which 2 g is soluble (the label's own footnote gives 2.4 g unrounded), 15 calories and no sugar; the sweetener is aspartame, so the label carries a phenylalanine notice.
- The cholesterol line rests on an FDA-authorized health claim that requires 7 g of psyllium soluble fiber a day, which is three servings of this powder; a 2018 meta-analysis of 28 trials found a modest LDL reduction at a median of about 10 g of psyllium a day.
- Seen on Amazon at $34.97 for 180 teaspoons (about 19 cents per single-teaspoon serving) on September 30, 2026, in stock, shipped and sold by Amazon.com.
What the label shows
We read the Supplement Facts panel from the canister photographs on the Amazon listing on September 30, 2026, and matched it line for line against the label-facts image on Metamucil's own page for the same sugar-free orange powder (a 72-teaspoon size with identical per-serving numbers) [1]. The panel has two columns, 2 rounded teaspoons (11.6 g) and 1 rounded teaspoon (5.8 g). We use the single teaspoon below, because that is the amount the canister pairs with its regularity directions.
| Ingredient | Amount per serving | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 15 | 30 for two teaspoons. Sugar-free but, as the canister itself prints, "not a low calorie food." |
| Total carbohydrate | 5 g (2% DV) | From the psyllium and the maltodextrin carrier. There is no sugars line on this panel. |
| Dietary fiber | 3 g (11% DV) | The Daily Value for fiber is 28 g, so one teaspoon covers roughly a ninth of a day's target [2]. |
| Soluble fiber | 2 g (DV not established) | A rounded figure; the footnote on the back of the canister states 2.4 g per serving, which is the number that matters for the FDA claim. |
| Iron / sodium / potassium | 0.4 mg / 5 mg / 30 mg | Trace amounts; not a meaningful source of any of them. |
| Ingredients | — | Psyllium husk, maltodextrin, citric acid, natural and artificial orange flavor, aspartame, Yellow 6. The phenylketonurics notice reads 25 mg phenylalanine per teaspoon. "Gluten free" is printed as a claim, with no certifier seal. Distributed by Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH 45202. |
The sugar version of the same orange powder is a different serving: one rounded tablespoon (12 g) for 40 calories, 12 g of carbohydrate, the same 3 g of fiber and 2 g of soluble fiber, plus 8 g of added sugars (16% DV); its first ingredient is sucrose, with psyllium husk second [3]. In plain terms, the fiber per serving is identical, and the sugar version needs twice the powder to deliver it because two-thirds of each tablespoon (8 g of 12 g) is sugar. Both versions list Yellow 6, both are labeled gluten free, and both carry the same psyllium allergy alert. Neither panel states grams of psyllium husk itself, only grams of fiber.
What the evidence shows
Psyllium is a viscous, gel-forming soluble fiber, and its evidence is unusually solid for something sold as a supplement, with the caveat that what is well supported is narrow.
Cholesterol. The canister's heart line is an FDA-authorized health claim rather than a structure/function statement. Regulation 21 CFR 101.81 permits it for foods that supply at least 1.7 g of soluble fiber from psyllium husk per serving, as part of a diet that reaches 7 g a day and is low in saturated fat and cholesterol [4]. This powder's 2.4 g per teaspoon clears the per-serving bar, and three teaspoons a day (7.2 g) clears the daily one, which is exactly why the directions read "1 rounded teaspoon up to 3 times per day." The independent trial evidence points the same way: a 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 randomized trials (1,924 participants) found that a median of about 10.2 g of psyllium a day lowered LDL cholesterol by 0.33 mmol/L (roughly 13 mg/dL), an effect graded as moderate-quality evidence [5]. Three teaspoons of this product supply about 9 g of dietary fiber, in the same range, though not the same measure. It is a modest, real effect and a fraction of what a prescription lipid drug does; it is not a substitute for one.
Regularity. Psyllium's bulk-forming action is the basis for its decades of use in over-the-counter laxatives, a use the FDA regulates with a mandatory choking warning and a full-glass-of-fluid direction on any bulk-forming psyllium drug product [6]; you will find the same wording on this supplement canister. The listing's "what to expect" graphic (a bowel movement within 12 to 72 hours; possible gas and bloating for the first 3 to 7 days) is the seller's description, but it matches how bulk fibers generally behave.
Blood sugar. The seller's third line, taken before meals, is a structure/function statement with the standard disclaimer. Viscous fibers do slow the absorption of carbohydrate from a meal, but we found no authorized claim for it and do not evaluate it here. The canister's own "before using" note tells anyone on medication for blood sugar or on a cholesterol-lowering program to ask a doctor first, and so do we.
Two label rules are not optional. First, every serving must be mixed into at least 8 oz (a full glass) of liquid and drunk promptly; taken dry or with too little fluid, psyllium can swell in the throat, and the label says not to use it at all if you have difficulty swallowing. Second, bulk fibers can change how medicines are absorbed, so the label says to take it at least 2 hours before or after any medicine. Psyllium allergy, from inhaling or eating it, is uncommon but real. The label's own stop conditions: see a doctor before using it after a sudden change in bowel habits lasting two weeks, and stop and ask a doctor if constipation lasts more than 7 days or there is rectal bleeding.
How it fits a daily routine
The canister says new users should start with one serving a day and build up gradually. Put the powder in an empty glass, add 8 oz or more of cool liquid, stir briskly and drink right away, because it thickens within a minute. Up to three servings a day. If you take medicines, anchor the fiber two hours clear of them; mid-morning and mid-afternoon often work. Water goes alongside, not instead: a bulk fiber without fluid does the opposite of what you want. Store it below 86°F, tightly closed, since humidity clumps it. If you also take a probiotic capsule (the Garden of Life entry in this system), nothing on either label says to separate them.
Price and where it is sold
On September 30, 2026 the 180-teaspoon canister (36.8 oz, 2.3 lb) was $34.97 on Amazon, in stock, shipped and sold by Amazon.com. That works out to about $0.19 per single-teaspoon serving or $0.39 per two-teaspoon serving; at three single servings a day it is about $0.58 a day and a two-month supply. Amazon's own unit-price line showed $0.09 per count that day, which does not correspond to 180 servings, so we use our own arithmetic. The 114-teaspoon size of the same sugar-free orange powder (ASIN B0013I1H9G) was $29.99 the same day, a worse price per serving. Prices move daily; nothing on this page is current beyond the date shown. Amazon's standard return window applies to most items; check the listing's own terms.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who has difficulty swallowing: the label says not to take it.
- People with phenylketonuria: the sweetener is aspartame. The sugar version has no aspartame but carries 8 g of added sugar per serving.
- Anyone on prescription medicines, especially ones with a narrow dose window, until a pharmacist has confirmed that two-hour spacing is enough.
- Anyone on medication for blood sugar or in a cholesterol-lowering program: the canister itself says to ask a doctor before using it.
- Anyone pregnant or nursing: clinician first.
Sources
- Metamucil (Procter & Gamble). Product page for the Sugar-Free Orange Smooth powder, including the label-facts image, directions and cautions. View the product page
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Daily Value reference for the Nutrition and Supplement Facts labels (dietary fiber Daily Value of 28 g). View the reference
- Metamucil (Procter & Gamble). Product page for the Orange Smooth powder (sugar version), including its label-facts image. View the product page
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. 21 CFR 101.81, the FDA health claim for soluble fiber from certain foods, including the 7 g per day and 1.7 g per serving thresholds for psyllium husk. Read the regulation
- Jovanovski E. et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials of psyllium fiber on LDL cholesterol and related lipid markers. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2018. Abstract via the NIH PubMed E-utilities service. Read the abstract
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. 21 CFR 201.319, required choking warning and full-glass-of-fluid directions for bulk-forming psyllium drug products. Read the regulation
- Amazon listing B003CT2YQY, canister photographs (front, Supplement Facts and back label) for Metamucil sugar-free orange, 180 teaspoons, read September 30, 2026 (linked from the fact sheet on this page).
This entry is educational and is not medical advice. Ask a qualified clinician before starting any supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or take medication.