Organic Inulin

Inulin is a good fibre with one job, so the questions our naturopaths ask in store are mostly about making sure that's the job you want done, at a dose your gut is comfortable with.

A good fit if

• Feeding your gut bacteria is the goal, and bifidobacteria in particular
• You're not reaching the Australian fibre Adequate Intake and want an easy top-up you can stir into anything
• You want a powder that dissolves without turning your drink into gel
• You're happy to start small and put up with some extra wind while your gut adjusts

Check with us first if

• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. The official monograph for the chicory plant says to avoid it, and advice on purified inulin hasn't been settled.
• Wind and bloating are already a problem for you. Inulin is fermented, and high intakes have been reported to cause wind, bloating and loose stools.
• Constipation is your main concern. The evidence for inulin is rated insufficient, and a gel-forming fibre like psyllium has a better track record.

• Chicory inulin powder (native, long-chain). Best known for: The standard prebiotic powder, and the form behind most of the chicory inulin research. Absorption: Not absorbed. Bacteria ferment it in the first part of the colon, so little reaches the stool. Typical use: Stir it into water, smoothies or yoghurt. It dissolves without thickening.
• Inulin blended with oligofructose. Best known for: A mix of long and short chains, as several of the trials used. Absorption: The short chains ferment faster, so expect more gas, gram for gram, than with plain inulin. Typical use: Found in blended prebiotic powders. The label shows what's in the mix.
• FOS (fructooligosaccharides). Best known for: The short-chain, sweet-tasting relative of inulin. Absorption: Ferments quickly, and it didn't match inulin's results in a head-to-head trial. Typical use: Sold on its own and in prebiotic blends. It has its own page.

Reference values. There's no reference value for inulin itself. The NHMRC Adequate Intake for total dietary fibre is 30 g a day for men and 25 g a day for women aged 19 and over, rising to 28 g a day in pregnancy and 30 g a day while breastfeeding (19 to 50 years).

Typical supplemental range. Trials in people have used anywhere from about 9 g to 30 g a day, most often around 16 g, usually for four to 24 weeks. Those are research doses, not a target, and the higher ones are well above where most people start.

Upper level. There's no Upper Level of Intake for dietary fibre, and Australia's permitted ingredients list sets no daily cap for inulin. In practice your gut sets the limit, because more inulin means more wind, bloating and loose stools.

Worth knowing. Start low and build up over a week or two. Mix the powder into food or a drink rather than taking it dry, and drink more fluid as you add fibre. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Chicory root: the main commercial source of inulin. The roasted root is also used as a coffee substitute
• Jerusalem artichoke: used as the inulin source in at least one clinical trial. Amount per serve not recorded in our sources

If any of these sound like you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before you start.

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. The chicory monograph advises avoiding it; whether that applies to purified inulin hasn't been resolved.
• Chicory or inulin allergy. Skin reactions (contact urticaria), occupational allergy, asthma and anaphylaxis have been reported.
• High intakes. Wind, bloating and loose stools have been reported.
• If constipation is your main complaint. The evidence was rated insufficient; gel-forming fibre has better support.