Benefiber is one of the most popular fiber supplements on the market. It’s available in-store at a wide variety of retailers like Target and CVS, and also available online. The brand claims that their supplement is “taste-free” and “nourishes good bacteria.”
But what’s actually in Benefiber? Is the brand's fiber powder or fiber gummies a better choice? How does Benefiber compare with popular fiber supplements like Metamucil? And are there any questionable additive ingredients in their formulation?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions by reviewing the ingredients in both Benefiber Original and Benefiber Gummies, and share real, unsponsored user reviews of Benefiber including a taste test.
Benefiber Original Ingredient Review
Wheat dextrin is the only ingredient in Benefiber Original.
This ingredient is a soluble fiber that’s produced from wheat starch, and we consider it to be a healthy option. A medical review published in the Journal of International Medical Research reviewed data from clinical trials and concluded that soluble fiber supplementation could help improve digestive regularity, increase nutrient absorption from other foods, and help to naturally lower cholesterol. The study authors highlighted wheat dextrin as a particularly effective type of soluble fiber.
Wheat dextrin is a prebiotic, which means that it helps to support the growth of healthy strains of gut bacteria.
In light of this information, we consider Benefiber’s claims about their supplement improving gut health to be accurate.
One interesting fact about wheat dextrin is that although it’s derived from wheat, it’s actually a gluten-free ingredient as the processing removes gluten. This is why Benefiber can advertise that their product is gluten-free.
We cannot locate any other medical studies on wheat dextrin specifically, but we approve of this formulation due to the effective active ingredient and lack of any harmful additive ingredients, and recommend it to consumers. One of the benefits of Benefiber Original is its relatively low cost.
190 servings only costs $37.67 on Amazon, which equates to a per-serving cost of $0.20. Each serving only provides 3 grams (g) of fiber, so consumers may want to take a higher dose than one serving, since most medical research we’ve reviewed on fiber supplementation used doses above 10 g daily.
A YouTube creator named “DIY Pinto” published a review of Benefiber and a taste test that’s only three minutes long, and may be worth a watch for consumers considering Benefiber who are curious if it’s actually taste-free:
Is Benefiber Healthier Than Metamucil?
Metamucil is arguably the most popular fiber brand, so consumers are often curious about whether Benefiber or Metamucil has a better formulation.
We consider Benefiber to be significantly healthier than Metamucil due to the lack of questionable additive ingredients. As we detailed at length in our Metamucil reviews article, Metamucil fiber powder contains additive ingredients like artificial flavor and artificial sweeteners that we recommend avoiding. It’s also more expensive per-serving than Benefiber Original.
We would recommend Benefiber over Metamucil.
We Tried Benefiber – Our Take
As one of the authors of this article, I wanted to try Benefiber myself to share my thoughts on its taste and effects.
The great thing about this product is it actually is entirely tasteless. Many products I've tried that claim to be tasteless are not.
I don't have any digestive issues, but I've been on the road more than usual recently for work, and adding Benefiber to my morning water is a really convenient way to ensure adequate fiber intake when I'm not eating as many fruits and vegetables as usual.
One annoying aspect of the product experience is that the brand fails to provide a scooper (like most powdered supplements do), which is inconvenient if you're on the road and don't have spoons handy.
This is one of the few products I've tested during my product reviews that I would actually consider purchasing again in the right circumstance (for me, during extended travel).
Overall, I would rate Benefiber 9/10.
Does Benefiber Cause Side Effects?
While any fiber supplement (or high-fiber food) can cause minor digestive side effects such as bloating and indigestion, we consider this risk to be low with Benefiber Original because its fiber dose is relatively low, and because it’s free of questionable filler ingredients.
One of the keys to avoiding side effects with fiber supplementation, especially for individuals used to an unhealthy diet low in fiber, is to slowly increase fiber intake. If the goal is to increase daily fiber intake by 20 g, it seems logical to increase by 3 g every day rather than take 20 g of supplemental fiber the first day, which is more likely to cause discomfort and gastrointestinal distress.
Overall we do not believe that Benefiber is likely to cause side effects, especially when its dose is slowly increased over the course of days.
Where to Get the Best Price
Benefiber is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here's the price breakdown for the 190-serving version at the time of updating this article:
Walmart: $36.23 (link)
Amazon: $32.58 (link)
Currently, Amazon has the best prices by around 10% or more.
Target and CVS also sell Benefiber, but do not currently sell the bulk version which is the most cost-effective.
The brand's official website also has a Coupons page that customers can use to get $1.50 off their order.
Benefiber Gummies Review
Benefiber sells a gummies product that contains the same fiber dose as their powder, and also contains probiotics. This supplement contains three additive ingredients we recommend avoiding.
Sucrose is a type of added sugar. We know from medical research that added sugar is associated with a host of negative health and cognitive outcomes when consumed in excess, and many Americans already consume too much added sugar from diet, which is why we recommend avoiding it in supplements.
Natural flavors is an ingredient that fails to describe the specific flavoring agents used. While it’s a healthier alternative to artificial flavors, there are still legitimate concerns about the toxicity of some natural flavoring compounds, as we documented in our Colon Broom reviews article (on another fiber product that's naturally-flavored).
Citric acid is a flavor enhancer and preservative ingredient that appears to cause inflammatory reactions in a small subset of patients, as shown in a series of case reports published in the Toxicology Reports journal.
While Benefiber Gummies may be effective for improving gut health due to the fiber and probiotic ingredients, we do not recommend it overall because of the questionable additive ingredients.
Benefiber's Legal Issues
In 2021, Benefiber settled a class-action lawsuit for $6.5 million over claims that their supplement is not 100% natural as advertised. In our opinion, this was a relatively frivolous lawsuit, because although wheat dextrin is processed from whole wheat, it’s still an entirely safe and naturally-derived ingredient.
This lawsuit does not change our opinion on Benefiber’s brand or products, but we believe it’s useful information for consumers to be aware of.
The more concerning news about Benefiber is that several lots of its product were recently recalled due to plastic contamination, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
As detailed in the linked notice, green plastic pieces or shavings were found in some of the products and presented a choking hazard (and an overall health hazard in our opinion given that plastic should not be consumed). This recall has been completed and this is not an outstanding risk, however we do consider this a red flag about the brand.
Our Clean Gut Health Picks
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top fiber pick.
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ contains 100% soluble fiber, which was described as "one of the most important nutrients for the gut microbiota" in a clinical review published in the Molecules journal.
Ritual Synbiotic+ is our top value probiotic pick.
It contains prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics, and costs under $1.50 per serving at the time of updating this article.
Probiotics "can improve in the immune, gastrointestinal...health systems in healthy adults" according to a 2019 medical review.
VSL#3 is our top premium probiotic pick.
This probiotic supplement has been studied in 25 clinical trials, and a 2020 meta-study on VSL#3 concluded the following:
"...many studies demonstrated that VSL#3 has a beneficial effect on obesity and diabetes, allergic diseases, nervous systemic diseases, AS, bone diseases, and female reproductive systemic diseases."
All of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Benefiber Real Customer Reviews
Benefiber Original has been reviewed over 8,000 times on Amazon, which is a more objective source for customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion. The product has an impressive 4.8 out of 5 star average rating at the time of writing this article.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Cheri” who claims that the supplement is effective:
“This is an easy tasteless way to add fiber to your diet..It is a little pricey though.”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “P. Brown” who claims they received an outdated version of the product:
“I ordered the latest updated Benefiber as shown on line. The Benefiber I received was an old container, even part of the outside was crinkled if it it had been in water. The picture on the outside of the container, showed a spoon in a glass not the updated product photo. Also the product I received did not have the words, No Grit, plus other comments on the newer jar.”
