Inulin is a type of prebiotic fiber that is found in many plant-based foods. The human body doesn’t make digestive enzymes that can break down inulin. Instead of being digested in the stomach and small intestine, it travels through the digestive system to the large intestine where it feeds gut bacteria. Your gut microbes transform it into useful metabolites, like short-chain fatty acids, that keep your gut healthy. Inulin is found in many common foods, including onions and garlic. The most inulin-rich foods are chicory root and Jerusalem artichoke.
Inulin benefits:
1. Gut health and inulin FOS
Prebiotics boost the abundance of health-promoting bacteria in your gut and increase their activity. Inulin is a prebiotic that can help diversify the gut microbiome (which is a sign of gut health) and provide fuel for good bacteria to make important substances, like short-chain fatty acids and vitamins.
2. Inulin and constipation
Inulin is a soluble fibre that can relieve constipation. Soluble fibre absorbs water in the gut, creating a gel-like texture and softening stool. This normalises bowel transit and eases constipation.
3. Control blood lipids and stabilize blood sugar
Inulin adsorbs bile and cholesterol and fermentation degradation products have an inhibitory effect on cholesterol. The adsorbed inulin in the upper part of the intestine will not be hydrolyzed into monosaccharides by the body enzymes, so it will not affect the blood glucose level and insulin content, and inulin has been used as one of the special foods for diabetics in the early 20th century.
4. Inulin weight loss
Soluble fiber helps curb hunger and increases the feeling of fullness after meals. There is some research to show that inulin soluble fiber may promote weight loss, particularly in prediabetic individuals.
5. Improved calcium and magnesium absorption
Inulin fiber improves the absorption of specific minerals in the gut, namely calcium and magnesium. Magnesium is a mineral that the body needs for many biochemical reactions that maintain nerve and muscle function, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure. Calcium is just as important. It supports healthy bones and helps the nervous system to communicate with the body.
APPLICATION AND REGULATIONS
Based on its various health functions, Inulin is widely used in consumer products around the world. Inulin can be used as fat substitutes, quality improvers, flavor masking agents, humectants and fillers in food products. It has been successfully used in dietary supplements, functional beverages, dairy products, snack foods, health foods, special medical foods and pet foods. Meanwhile, inulin is also used in animal feed, animal food, cosmetics, medicine and other fields. It is also used to a certain extent in animal feed, animal food, cosmetics and medicine.
- FDA has confirmed that inulin is a GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe Substance) with an effective daily intake of 5 grams and a recommended maximum
The recommended maximum daily intake is 15~20 grams.
- In 2009, China officially approved inulin as a new resource food.
- In 2015, the European Union issued a regulation (EU2015/2314, approving the health claim that chicory inulin helps maintain normal intestinal function. According to the latest regulation, the conditions of use for chicory inulin are 12g daily intake to obtain effective function.
