Which Has More Fiber, Metamucil or Benefiber? 6 g Each

This page compares Metamucil Sugar-Free, Metamucil Real Sugar, and Benefiber Original side by side on fiber amounts, psyllium versus wheat dextrin, aspartame, added sugar, and Yellow 6. Each lists 6 g of dietary fiber per labeled serving, but the serving sizes differ. Both Metamucil versions use psyllium husk, while Benefiber lists wheat dextrin as its ingredient. The largest label differences are the 16 g of added sugars in Real Sugar, the aspartame in the sugar-free version, and the Yellow 6 in both Metamucil products.

Key takeaways

• Per labeled serving, all three list 6 g of dietary fiber, but the serving weights are 11.6 g, 24 g, and 8 g, so per-serving figures are not directly comparable.
• Metamucil Real Sugar lists 16 g of added sugars per 2 rounded tablespoons (24 g). Benefiber Original lists 0 g total sugars per 4 teaspoons (8 g).
• Sugar-free Metamucil lists aspartame instead of sucrose. Both Metamucil versions list Yellow 6.
• Psyllium carries an allergy alert and a medicine-timing warning on Metamucil labels. The FDA soluble fiber health claim under 21 CFR 101.81 names psyllium seed husk, not wheat dextrin. It requires 7 g or more of soluble fiber per day from psyllium seed husk, and a psyllium food must contain at least 1.7 g of soluble fiber per reference amount.

What are the fiber and soluble fiber amounts per serving in Metamucil and Benefiber?

Per labeled serving, Metamucil Sugar-Free (2 rounded tsp, 11.6 g), Metamucil Real Sugar (2 rounded tbsp, 24 g), and Benefiber Original (4 tsp, 8 g) each list 6 g of dietary fiber, or 21% of the Daily Value. Soluble fiber is 5 g per serving in both Metamucil versions and 6 g in Benefiber Original.

The FDA Daily Value for dietary fiber is 28 g, which is the basis for the 21% figure. Per 1 rounded teaspoon (5.8 g), sugar-free Metamucil lists 3 g of fiber (11% DV) and 2 g of soluble fiber. Per 1 rounded tablespoon (12 g), Real Sugar lists 3 g of fiber, and soluble fiber is not disclosed at that size.

Label item	Metamucil Sugar-Free	Metamucil Real Sugar	Benefiber Original
Serving size	2 rounded tsp (11.6 g)	2 rounded tbsp (24 g)	4 tsp (8 g)
Calories	30	80	30
Total carbohydrate	10 g (4% DV)	23 g (8% DV)	8 g (3% DV)
Dietary fiber	6 g (21% DV)	6 g (21% DV)	6 g (21% DV)
Soluble fiber	5 g	5 g	6 g
Total sugars	Not disclosed	16 g	0 g
Added sugars	Not disclosed	16 g (32% DV)	Not disclosed
Fiber source	Psyllium husk	Psyllium husk	Wheat dextrin
Sweetener listed	Aspartame	Sucrose	None in ingredient line
Dye listed	Yellow 6	Yellow 6	None in ingredient line

Which has more fiber, Metamucil or Benefiber?

Neither has more total dietary fiber per labeled serving, since each lists 6 g. Benefiber lists 1 g more soluble fiber per labeled serving than either Metamucil version, at 6 g per 8 g compared with 5 g per 11.6 g or 5 g per 24 g. Because its serving weighs less, Benefiber reaches that soluble fiber amount in a smaller portion by weight.

How do serving sizes differ across Metamucil Sugar-Free, Real Sugar, and Benefiber?

Sugar-free Metamucil is labeled per 2 rounded teaspoons (11.6 g), Real Sugar per 2 rounded tablespoons (24 g), and Benefiber Original per 4 teaspoons (8 g). Calories per labeled serving are 30, 80, and 30, so similar calorie counts cover very different weights.

The Metamucil page gives directions of 1 rounded teaspoon up to 3 times per day for regularity or cholesterol. The Benefiber serving suggestion for adults 12 years and older is 4 teaspoons a day. These are product directions, not individual recommendations.

Is psyllium husk or wheat dextrin the fiber source, and what does the label say?

Both Metamucil versions list psyllium husk as the fiber source, while Benefiber Original lists wheat dextrin as its ingredient. The ingredient line tells you which fiber a product contains.

• Sugar-free Metamucil: psyllium husk, maltodextrin, citric acid, natural and artificial orange flavor, aspartame, Yellow 6.
• Metamucil Real Sugar: sucrose, psyllium husk, citric acid, natural and artificial orange flavor, Yellow 6.
• Benefiber Original: 'Ingredient: wheat dextrin.'

Does Benefiber have psyllium husk?

No. The Benefiber Original label lists wheat dextrin, and psyllium husk does not appear in the ingredient line.

Benefiber's footnote says the wheat 'has been processed to allow this food to meet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for gluten-free foods.' Metamucil's panel says GLUTEN FREE. Whether Benefiber is suitable for people with celiac disease beyond that footnote was not disclosed.

Does Metamucil Sugar-Free contain aspartame?

Yes. Per 2 rounded teaspoons (11.6 g), the sugar-free Metamucil Orange Smooth ingredient list includes aspartame, while the Real Sugar ingredient list does not.

The FDA states that people with phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid or restrict aspartame, and that shoppers can identify it by name in the ingredient list. The FDA aspartame guidance covers the same point. For how other sweeteners appear on labels, see Barebells vs Ryse Loaded Protein: Two Sucralose Labels Compared. Benefiber's ingredient line lists no sweetener.

How much added sugar is in Metamucil Real Sugar, sugar-free Metamucil, and Benefiber?

Metamucil Real Sugar lists 16 g of added sugars per 2 rounded tablespoons (24 g), which is 32% of the FDA Daily Value of 50 g. Benefiber Original lists 0 g total sugars per 4 teaspoons (8 g), and its added sugars are not disclosed.

Per 1 rounded tablespoon (12 g), Real Sugar lists 8 g of added sugars (16% DV). Its ingredient list starts with sucrose.

Does Metamucil have sugar in it?

Yes, the Real Sugar version does, with 16 g of added sugars per 2 rounded tablespoons (24 g) and sucrose as a listed ingredient. The sugar-free version lists aspartame instead of sucrose, and its panel shows 10 g of total carbohydrate per 2 rounded teaspoons (11.6 g).

Parents comparing these figures with children's limits can use How Much Added Sugar Should Kids Have a Day? By Age, in Grams.

Is Yellow 6 in Metamucil or Benefiber?

Yes, Yellow 6 appears in both Metamucil ingredient lists and is not in the Benefiber ingredient line.

Federal color additive rules for FD&C Yellow No. 6 are at 21 CFR 74.706.

What do the psyllium allergy alert and medicine-timing warning on Metamucil labels mean?

The sugar-free label warns that the product 'may cause allergic reactions in people sensitive to inhaled or ingested psyllium.' The Real Sugar page says bulk-forming fibers like psyllium husk 'may affect how well medicines work' and states to take the product at least 2 hours before or after medicines.

What health claim applies to psyllium soluble fiber, and does it apply to wheat dextrin?

The FDA health claim under 21 CFR 101.81 links a daily intake of 7 g or more of soluble fiber from psyllium seed husk, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, with reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Wheat dextrin is not among the soluble fiber sources the rule lists, so the claim does not apply to it.

The rule requires a psyllium food to contain at least 1.7 g of soluble fiber per reference amount. The eligible sources it lists are whole oat and barley beta-glucan and psyllium husk.

Is Metamucil or Benefiber better for cholesterol?

The Metamucil dosing directions list cholesterol among its uses, and the Benefiber label facts reviewed here include no cholesterol claim. The label facts do not show how either product affects cholesterol in a given person.

Related reading: for another supplement label comparison, see Doctor's Best vs Nature Made Magnesium: Both 200 mg.