This page shows what was measured, who it was measured in, and what that does not settle.
What Inulin does in the body
Taken to feed gut bacteria and improve digestion
Inulin is a chain of fructose units joined by a bond that human digestive enzymes cannot break. It therefore travels the whole length of the small intestine unchanged and arrives in the colon, where certain bacteria — bifidobacteria above all — do have the enzyme and eat it. They multiply, and they produce short-chain fatty acids and gas. Everything good that is claimed for inulin and everything uncomfortable about it come from the same event. Because it dissolves without thickening, it does none of the physical work that a gel-forming fibre like psyllium does in the small intestine.
What happened in people
Inulin reliably increases faecal bifidobacteria across studies and age groups, by direct bacterial quantification
✎ Source-linked record
Where this came from
A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.
The recorded finding that sits closest to something a person would notice. Written into the record, not signed off, and it carries no population or interval.
No recorded sentence describes the change this makes in a way that stands on its own. The page opens with what it is taken for instead, and the recorded explanation follows below.
Shown as the opening line on this page.
A limit recorded against this substance. Not signed off as a reviewed claim.
The four opening statements run to 120 words.
Words this page uses
Four words worth knowing first
Chosen from what this page shows, with each one explained before the word it depends on.
Stand-in result
A stand-in result is a number measured because the real result takes too long.
A picture of it, and where the picture fails
It is like judging a journey by the speedometer rather than by arriving.
Where that stops being true. Speed does predict arrival. Many stand-in results do not predict the real one.
What people get wrong. A stand-in result is often reported as the result itself.
A surrogate endpoint substituted for a clinical endpoint, valid only where the substitution has been shown to hold.
Randomisation
Randomisation means chance decides who gets which treatment.
A picture of it, and where the picture fails
It is like a coin toss deciding the groups.
Where that stops being true. A coin toss is fair once. Fairness here comes from doing it for everyone.
What people get wrong. It is thought to make groups identical. It makes them similar on average, including on things nobody measured.
Allocation of participants to arms by a chance process, so that unmeasured factors are balanced in expectation.
Receptor
A receptor is a part of a cell that a signal fits into.
A picture of it, and where the picture fails
A receptor is like a lock waiting for one key.
Where that stops being true. A lock either opens or does not. A receptor can be half-triggered, or worn out.
What people get wrong. Fitting a receptor is read as causing a benefit. It causes a step, and nothing more.
A protein that binds a specific ligand and converts that binding into a cellular response.
Pathway
A pathway is a chain of steps inside a cell, each one setting off the next.
A picture of it, and where the picture fails
A pathway is like a row of dominoes.
Where that stops being true. Dominoes fall one way. Pathways loop back and can switch themselves off.
What people get wrong. Changing one step is read as changing the outcome. Other steps often absorb it.
An ordered series of molecular interactions producing a defined cellular change.
What happened in people◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
What was measured, goal by goal
One row for each goal a registered study measured something for. One column for each kind of thing that could be measured.
Registered studies list 40 outcome measures that RNAWiki could read. A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. 0 of the matched studies tested this substance, and 0 posted a result.
There is no single score. A strong test result and a weak life result are different facts.
Goals down the side, kinds of measurement across the top. Each cell says what kind of thing was registered, not what was found.
Goal
Life outcome
What a body can do
How a person feels
A test result
A step in the body
Harms
How long
Who was studied
Body weight
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.
△Only a number moved3 registered test measure.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.
—Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.
—Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.
…Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Blood sugar
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.
△Only a number moved3 registered test measure.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.
—Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.
—Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.
…Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Healthy ageing
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.
—Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.
—Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.
…Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Endurance
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
…Waiting for a reviewer1 registered performance measure of this kind.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.
—Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.
—Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.
…Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Strength
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
…Waiting for a reviewer1 registered performance measure of this kind.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.
—Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.
—Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.
…Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Which registered measures put each goal on this table
Body weight
body weight; body weight number of gained 3 of their baseline body weight; weight loss compared to baseline
Blood sugar
insulin sensitivity; glucose disposal; hba1c
Healthy ageing
improvement of frailty
Endurance
time to exhaustion
Strength
muscular strength
Sorted by fixed word lists, version v1. A name the rules do not recognise stays unsorted rather than moving to the nearest column.
What each mark on this table means
∅ Nothing in the sources checked
No registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
△ Only a number moved
3 registered test measure.
— Not recorded
Harms were not a registered measure for this goal.
… Waiting for a reviewer
Who was studied is listed further down the page.
What happened in people◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
What happened in people
Each card is one study: the exact question it asked, who was in it, and whether it showed what it set out to show.
Substantiation of a claim for maintenance of normal defecation by increasing stool frequency
✓ The study showed what it set out to show
Who was studied
EFSA Article 13.5 opinion on native chicory inulin and stool frequency
How many people
1
Study design
Regulatory scientific opinion
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Claim authorised under Article 13.5 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006; no other inulin health claim authorised
Repeated elsewhere
Replicated
What this does not prove. Meeting one endpoint in one population does not carry to other goals or other people.
The limits of this study, and where it came from
Main limit. The narrowness is the finding. Claims for glycaemic control, blood lipids, immune function and mineral absorption did not achieve authorisation under the same regime.
How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.
Form and route. Oral powder, capsule, or added to food as chicory root fibre
Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.
Summed score across seven gastrointestinal tolerance domains
✗ The study did not show it
Who was studied
Bonnema 2010 — gastrointestinal tolerance of chicory inulin products
How many people
26
Study design
Randomised double-blind controlled crossover
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
10 g oligofructose substantially increased gastrointestinal symptoms versus control; both fibres tended to increase symptoms mildly
Repeated elsewhere
Replicated
What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.
The limits of this study, and where it came from
Main limit. Participants were healthy adults with no history of gastrointestinal conditions, which is not the population buying gut-health supplements. Flatulence was the commonest symptom, then bloating.
How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.
Form and route. Oral powder, capsule, or added to food as chicory root fibre
Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.
Fractional calcium absorption at 8 weeks and 1 year, and one-year change in bone mineral content and density
✓ The study showed what it set out to show
Who was studied
Abrams 2005 — inulin-type fructans, calcium absorption and bone mineralisation
How many people
100
Study design
Randomised placebo-controlled, one year, with stable-isotope absorption measurement
Compared against
A dummy treatment
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Calcium absorption difference +8.5 +/- 1.6% at 8 weeks (P < 0.001) and +5.9 +/- 2.8% at 1 year (P = 0.04); whole-body BMC +35 +/- 16 g (P = 0.03); BMD +0.015 +/- 0.004 g/cm2 (P = 0.01)
Repeated elsewhere
Partially Replicated
What this does not prove. Meeting one endpoint in one population does not carry to other goals or other people.
The limits of this study, and where it came from
Main limit. Conducted in pubertal adolescents during peak bone accrual, the population with the most room for any calcium intervention to act. Response was modified by Fok1 vitamin D receptor genotype. This endpoint did not achieve an EFSA authorised claim.
How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.
Form and route. Oral powder, capsule, or added to food as chicory root fibre
Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.
Incidence of icteric hepatocellular carcinoma on inulin-containing diets
✗ The study did not show it
Who was studied
Singh 2018 — dysregulated microbial fermentation of soluble fibre and liver cancer
How many people
0
Study design
Preclinical, multiple mouse strains including germ-free and antibiotic-treated controls
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Hepatocellular carcinoma induced in dysbiotic mice on inulin but not on insoluble fibre; absent in germ-free and antibiotic-treated animals; prevented by fermentation inhibition or cholestyramine
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated
What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.
The limits of this study, and where it came from
Main limit. A mouse study with no human counterpart. Sample size is recorded as zero because this trial enrolled no human participants. The authors' own recommendation was that enrichment of foods with fermentable fibre be approached with great caution.
How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.
Form and route. Oral powder, capsule, or added to food as chicory root fibre
Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.
Symptoms significantly reduced on the low-FODMAP diet
Repeated elsewhere
Replicated
What this does not prove. Meeting one endpoint in one population does not carry to other goals or other people.
The limits of this study, and where it came from
Main limit. Fructans — inulin and oligofructose — are the principal oligosaccharide class removed by that diet, which places this trial directly against the product this record covers.
How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.
Form and route. Oral powder, capsule, or added to food as chicory root fibre
Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.
RNAWiki holds 5 written-up human studies for this substance, each with the question it asked.
How we know it
Each card names the study, the number of people and what the study set out to measure.
What this does not prove
These summaries were written by a person and have not been signed off as reviewed claims.
Why it matters
A study that failed is as informative as one that worked, and both are here.
What we still do not know
No reviewed claim exists, so no exact population, effect size or interval is published yet.
What happened in people◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
How close this is to real life
The top step is something a person would feel or care about. The bottom is a guess from software. Filled steps are where evidence exists for this substance.
□Living longer, or avoiding a major eventNo evidence recorded. Death, a heart attack, a stroke, a hospital stay.No registered study measures this.
■What a body can do day to dayEvidence recorded. Walking, dressing, breathing, recovering.2 registered measures of this kind.
■Measured performanceEvidence recorded. How much was lifted, how far was run, how fast.2 registered measures of this kind.
■Symptoms and quality of lifeEvidence recorded. Pain, tiredness, mood, sleep, as the person rated it.2 registered measures of this kind.
■A number that stands in for healthEvidence recorded. Cholesterol, blood sugar, bone density. A stand-in, not the thing itself.11 registered measures of this kind.
■A step measured inside a personEvidence recorded. Something measured in human tissue or human cells.A human record sits on the stored organism ladder.
■AnimalsEvidence recorded. Mice, rats, dogs. Useful for ideas, not proof about people.Stored records in Yeast, C. elegans (roundworm), Drosophila (fruit fly), Mouse, Rat. A result in animals says what to test next. It does not say what happens in people.
■Cells in a dishEvidence recorded. Cells or chemistry on a bench, far from a whole body.Stored mechanism abstracts describe steps measured in cells or tissue.
□A guess from softwareNo evidence recorded. Nobody measured it. RNAWiki never publishes one as a finding.RNAWiki stores no prediction for this record. Software can suggest a link. RNAWiki does not publish one as a finding.
Higher on these steps means closer to something a person would feel. It does not mean better done.
What it changes in the body◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
The path through the body
From what a person takes to what changes. A solid line is a step measured in people. A dashed line is a step nobody has measured that way.
Start
Inulin
What a person takes: Oral powder, capsule, or added to food as chicory root fibre.
The measurement behind this step
Sold in the United States as a dietary supplement under DSHEA and used widely as a food ingredient, where it appears on labels as chicory root fibre, inulin or oligofructose. Chain length distribution is the property that matters most and is almost never disclosed: short-chain oligofructose ferments faster and is tolerated at roughly half the dose of native long-chain inulin. Because it is added to bars, yoghurts, reduced-sugar products and fibre supplements simultaneously, a consumer can reach a poorly tolerated total from several products none of which looks like a large dose on its own.
Getting in
No human enzyme can cut the bond, so it passes through untouched
Inulin is a chain of fructose units joined in a way our digestive enzymes cannot break. It reaches the large intestine chemically unchanged.
──Measured in people. Written by a person from the study named beside the step. Not signed off as a reviewed claim.
The measurement behind this step
Inulin-type fructans are linear beta-2,1-linked fructose polymers, usually terminated by a glucose unit, with degrees of polymerisation from about 2 to 60. Human sucrase-isomaltase, maltase-glucoamylase and pancreatic amylase have no activity against the beta-2,1 bond. That single fact defines the whole category and is why inulin counts as dietary fibre.
It dissolves without thickening, which is why it does not act like psyllium
Inulin is soluble but the solution stays thin. Thickness is what lets a fibre trap bile acids and slow sugar absorption, and inulin has none of it.
╌╌Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.
The measurement behind this step
Viscosity, not solubility, determines small-bowel effects. McRorie and McKeown group inulin, fructooligosaccharides and wheat dextrin as non-viscous soluble fibres that do not lower cholesterol or improve glycaemic control, in explicit contrast to beta-glucan, psyllium and raw guar gum. No gel means no bile acid sequestration and no diffusion barrier.
Bifidobacteria have the enzyme, and multiply on it
In the colon, certain bacteria can break the bond that we cannot. They eat the inulin and their numbers rise, which is the measured prebiotic effect.
╌╌Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.
The measurement behind this step
Bifidobacterium species express beta-fructofuranosidase and fructan-specific ABC transporters, giving them a competitive advantage on inulin-type substrate. The bifidogenic shift is well established across age groups by direct faecal quantification. Chain length matters: short-chain oligofructose is fermented rapidly and proximally, long-chain native inulin more slowly and further along the colon.
Fermentation produces short-chain fatty acids and gas together
The bacteria turn inulin into useful acids and into hydrogen and carbon dioxide. You cannot have one without the other, which is why benefit and bloating arrive together.
──Measured in people. Written by a person from the study named beside the step. Not signed off as a reviewed claim.
The measurement behind this step
Saccharolytic fermentation yields acetate, propionate and butyrate along with hydrogen, carbon dioxide and, in methanogen carriers, methane. Bonnema et al. measured the human consequence: flatulence was the commonest reported symptom and 10 g of oligofructose substantially increased symptom scores in healthy adults. In the Cell 2018 mouse work, pharmacologic inhibition of fermentation or depletion of fermenting bacteria both prevented the hepatocellular carcinoma, which identifies fermentation itself as the causal step.
The authorised outcome is stool frequency; the measured mineral outcome is calcium
What regulators accepted is that it makes you go more often. The best hard result is that it increased calcium absorption and bone mineral in teenagers over a year.
╌╌Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.
The measurement behind this step
EFSA authorised the claim that native chicory inulin contributes to maintenance of normal defecation by increasing stool frequency. Separately, Abrams et al. measured fractional calcium absorption higher by 8.5 +/- 1.6% at 8 weeks and 5.9 +/- 2.8% at one year, with whole-body bone mineral content 35 +/- 16 g and density 0.015 +/- 0.004 g/cm2 greater at one year. The proposed mechanism is colonic acidification increasing calcium solubility and passive absorption.
No suggested links are held for this record, so nothing is hidden from this path.
What we know
The record describes 5 steps from taking it to an effect in a person.
How we know it
Each step names the study behind it in the technical detail beside it.
What this does not prove
A change inside the body is a reason to look. It is not a result in a person.
Why it matters
A reader can see exactly where the chain stops being measured in people.
What we still do not know
No reviewed claim binds any of these steps to a named population.
What it would be like to take◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
Felt, measured, or meaningful
Three different things that get called the same word. Registered studies measured all three, and mixing them is how a blood test becomes a health claim.
Felt
Things a person could notice without a test.
appetite food intake
satiety response using visual analogue scales
Measured
Things only a test, a scale or a device shows.
renal plasma flow
body weight
body weight number of gained 3 of their baseline body weight
insulin sensitivity
incremental area under the serum acetate response curve
serum acetate response
weight loss compared to baseline
glucose disposal
plasma acetate concentrations
time to exhaustion
and 3 more.
Meaningful
Things that change how a life goes, not only a number.
No registered study measured anything of this kind.
A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. A number moving is not the same as a life going better. The two are shown apart here.
Felt, but not shown to help. A person notices a change. No study showed it leads anywhere good.
Measured, but not felt. A number moves. The person notices nothing. Both can be true.
Measured, but not shown to matter. A number moves in the good direction. Nobody showed that lives went better.
Matters, but takes years. The result that counts may take longer than anyone would keep watching.
Names that fit none of the three (25)
pouch mucosal proliferation index at 0 1 and 2 months
pouch mucosal apoptosis index at 0 1 and 2 months
glomerular filtration rate
gut microbiota composition
food intake
weight
blood lipids
glycaemic control
mineral metabolism
baseline in colonic gas
fmri bold activity during food wanting
microbial alpha and beta diversity
liver fat
abundance of bifidobacterium at baseline and month 6
total fecal bile acids
total fecal short chain fatty acids
fecal microbial population
improvement of frailty
alpha and beta bacterial diversity measures in stool
short chain fatty acid levels in stool
These are harms, study-process measures, or names the rules did not recognise. They are shown rather than dropped.
What is missing or unclear◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
Were people like you studied?
RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it, and where the result stops carrying.
Who was studied
People similar to this profile were included.
People buying prebiotic or gut-health supplements, and a much larger number consuming it unknowingly as chicory root fibre added to reduced-sugar and high-fibre processed foods.
Who is missing from the studies
Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.
Where the result stopped carrying
Every inulin health claim except stool frequency, under the European authorisation regime
The assumption that fermentable fibre is unconditionally beneficial, which the Cell 2018 mouse work directly challenges
This is a scope explorer, not a diagnosis engine.
It shows who was studied so you can see whether people similar to you were included.
RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it.
What it would be like to take◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
Why it might seem to do nothing
A real effect and a noticed effect are different things. These are the recorded reasons the two come apart.
It was studied for a different goal
The studies measured something else entirely.
On this record: Some registered studies measured things that match no goal on this page.
It was studied in different people
The people in the studies were not much like the reader.
On this record: Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.
The evidence may simply be wrong
Small early studies often do not hold up.
On this record: RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
The product may not be what it says
Contents of a sold product are not always what the label states.
On this record: This is sold as a supplement, so no agency checked what is in a given tub before it was sold.
Other reasons RNAWiki checked and found nothing for (9)
A different form was studied
The studied form is not the form on the shelf. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
There was nothing to correct
Where a level is already normal, topping it up may change nothing. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else had to happen too
In the studies it was paired with training, a diet or another treatment. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
The change is too small to feel
A real change can still sit below what a person notices. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Day-to-day swing hides it
Sleep, food, stress and time of day move most numbers more than this would. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Not enough time yet
The studies ran longer than the person has waited. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
It was not taken as studied
Missed days change the result, and studies count them. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else changed at the same time
Two changes at once cannot be told apart afterwards. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
No recorded reason
RNAWiki has nothing stored that would explain it. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
None of these is a reason to take more. Taking more is not a step this page ever suggests.
What it would be like to take◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
What taking it involves
The recorded facts about getting hold of it and using it. Nothing here is a suggestion about what you should do.
How it is supplied
Varies by country
❝ Quoted from a source
Where this came from
Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.
Read from the recorded approval status.
No source is stored against this line.
Form and route
Oral powder, capsule, or added to food as chicory root fibre
✎ Source-linked record
Where this came from
A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.
The form and route recorded on this substance.
No source is stored against this line.
Who oversees it
Professional supervision is normally required. It is a prescription or clinician-administered medicine where it is approved.
❝ Quoted from a source
Where this came from
Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.
A register records the withdrawal of an approval.
No source is stored against this line.
What is in the pack
Sold in the United States as a dietary supplement under DSHEA and used widely as a food ingredient, where it appears on labels as chicory root fibre, inulin or oligofructose. Chain length distribution is the property that matters most and is almost never disclosed: short-chain oligofructose ferments faster and is tolerated at roughly half the dose of native long-chain inulin.
✎ Source-linked record
Where this came from
A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.
Recorded notes on how this is sold. The rest of the recorded wording: Because it is added to bars, yoghurts, reduced-sugar products and fibre supplements simultaneously, a consumer can reach a poorly tolerated total from several products none of which looks like a large dose on its own.
No source is stored against this line.
Where it is registered
Regulatory records are listed in the technical disclosure at the foot of this page.
# Counted from records
Where this came from
A count of rows RNAWiki holds. It describes our records, not your body.
Register entries are stored per jurisdiction and shown with their dates.
No source is stored against this line.
Why people stop
Not recorded.
∅ Nothing recorded
Where this came from
RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.
No record of why people stopped taking it is stored for this substance.
No source is stored against this line.
What it would be like to take◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
What can go wrong
Sorted by where each line came from. A regulator's label and a report somebody sent in are not the same kind of fact.
·Worth asking a clinician aboutWritten into the record from the studies named on this page
Dose-dependent flatulence, bloating, abdominal discomfort and, at higher intakes, osmotic diarrhoea — all direct consequences of colonic fermentation rather than incidental to it. Tolerance in healthy adults was demonstrated to about 10 g/day of native inulin and 5 g/day of oligofructose. Fructans are a FODMAP and commonly provoke symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome. Rare IgE-mediated allergy to inulin has been reported, including anaphylaxis. In mice with a disturbed microbiota, dietary inulin induced hepatocellular carcinoma through fermentation-dependent cholestasis; no human equivalent has been shown, and the investigators nonetheless recommended caution about enriching foods with fermentable fibre.
Nobody counted how many people took this and were fine, so this cannot be turned into a rate.
These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction.
Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing.
The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete.
News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report.
A count is not a rate and not a risk.
Inulin appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 4 most-reported reaction terms, 68 reaction mentions were counted. One report can name several reactions.
open-targets-adr · recorded 2026-06-24 · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
Over a long time. No completed tested study window is recorded, so long-term effects are not established by the registry record.
Groups the studies covered thinly. Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.
What is missing or unclear◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
Does the exact form matter?
Evidence belongs to the exact thing that was tested. A different salt, a different mixture or a different preparation is a different question.
The form that was studied
Oral powder, capsule, or added to food as chicory root fibre
✎ Source-linked record
Where this came from
A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.
The form used in the studies cited on this page.
No source is stored against this line.
What is sold
Chain length distribution is the property that matters most and is almost never disclosed: short-chain oligofructose ferments faster and is tolerated at roughly half the dose of native long-chain inulin.
✎ Source-linked record
Where this came from
A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.
Recorded notes on which forms are sold. The rest of the recorded wording: Because it is added to bars, yoghurts, reduced-sugar products and fibre supplements simultaneously, a consumer can reach a poorly tolerated total from several products none of which looks like a large dose on its own.
No source is stored against this line.
What is recorded as being sold
4 products list this as an active ingredient in the United States drug directory. None of them contains it on its own, so nothing on this page can separate it from what it is combined with.
FDA National Drug Code directory · 59088-660 · read 2026-08-29
They are sold as liquid and powder, taken oral.
FDA National Drug Code directory · 59088-660 · read 2026-08-29
4 published labels name it as an active ingredient. None of them describes this substance alone, so no label text on this page can be attributed to it rather than to a combination.
US prescribing information · 777f8bef-2f03-4266-8b80-06489484282a · read 2026-08-29
Those labels are classed as human otc drug and human prescription drug.
US prescribing information · 777f8bef-2f03-4266-8b80-06489484282a · read 2026-08-29
1737 marketed supplement labels list this ingredient, classed as fiber and other nutrients and fiber.
Those labels carry all other, nutrient and structure/function claims. A claim of that kind is written by the manufacturer and is not assessed by any regulator, so its presence says nothing about whether it is true.
Livita Adults is oral at How Supplied: Livita™ Liquid Multivitamin for Adults is available in a 16 fl.oz. bottle with an NDC of 59088-659-31., recorded as fda label in effect 2024-12-17 in the United States.
US prescribing information · e5379169-e71b-c55a-e053-2a95a90a923c · read 2026-08-30
Evidence carries across two names for one substance. It does not carry across a salt, a mirror form or a mixture.
What it would be like to take◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
What you could measure
This one is decided with a clinician, so this section holds questions to ask rather than a plan to run.
Self-experiment planning is not offered for a prescription or clinician-supervised medicine, withdrawn medicine. The questions below are for a clinician or pharmacist.
Questions worth asking
Which of the trials of Inulin studied people like me?
What was measured, and for how long?
Was the result a laboratory value or a health outcome?
What would we watch for, and when would we stop?
Tracking can show whether something changed for you. It cannot show what caused it.
RNAWiki records evidence. It does not say whether this substance is right for you.
What is missing or unclear◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
Claims that go past the evidence
Things said about this substance that sound reasonable, and the exact step that is missing between the evidence and the claim.
✗Goes past the evidence
That a rise in bifidobacterial counts constitutes a health outcome
Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.
The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.
What would change this
A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.
RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
✗Goes past the evidence
That inulin shares psyllium's cholesterol and glycaemic benefits because both are called soluble fibre
Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.
The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.
What would change this
A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.
RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
✗Goes past the evidence
That a fibre marketed for gut health suits people with functional gut symptoms, when fructans are a FODMAP
Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.
The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.
What would change this
A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.
RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
What is missing or unclear◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
What nobody knows yet
Open questions, each with why it is open and what would close it.
How fast does the body clear it?
The sources RNAWiki checked hold nothing for this field.
Why it matters. Without this, nothing on this page can say how long anything lasts.
What would answer it
A stored source that records it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Missing populations
Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Missing long-term data
No completed tested study window is recorded.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
No reviewed conclusion
RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Missing interaction studies
No interaction was found in the registers checked. Not finding one is not the same as showing there is none.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Formulation uncertainty
Several salts, forms or products of Inulin are recorded. Results from one form may not transfer to another.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Mechanism not reviewed
No reviewed mechanism story exists for this substance.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
What happened in people◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
Check any of this yourself
Every line above traced back to the study it came from. This is the technical layer, and the vocabulary changes here.
Every line above can be traced to the study named beside it. Follow the link and read it.
EFSA authorised exactly one claim, and it is about stool frequency
In plain words
European regulators reviewed inulin and accepted a single claim: that chicory inulin increases how often you go. Every other health claim for it was not accepted.
What was measured
Stool frequency, as the sole endpoint for which a European health claim was authorised
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
The EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies issued a scientific opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to "native chicory inulin" and maintenance of normal defecation by increasing stool frequency, under Article 13.5 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. That is the authorised claim, and its narrowness is the finding. Under the same European regime, claims for inulin-type fructans relating to blood glucose control, blood lipids, immune function, mineral absorption and satiety have not achieved authorisation. A reader can therefore treat the European regulatory record as a filter already applied to this category by a body with access to the same literature the marketing draws on: one endpoint survived.
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
The bifidogenic effect is real — and the review establishing it came from a manufacturer
In plain words
Inulin genuinely increases bifidobacteria in the gut, across many studies and age groups. The most-cited review saying so was written by a scientist at an inulin company.
What was measured
Faecal Bifidobacterium counts after inulin or oligofructose supplementation
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Meyer and Stasse-Wolthuis state that the bifidogenic effect of inulin and oligofructose is well established across studies in adults and other age groups, and that this shift in colonic microbiota composition is likely the basis for the effects of these prebiotics on colonic function. The rest of their review is carefully hedged in a way the marketing is not: indications for reduced production of potentially toxic metabolites and immune-mediated effects come "mainly from animal and in vitro studies and also from some human trials." The corresponding author is at Sensus, a chicory inulin manufacturer. The bifidogenic shift itself is not in dispute and is measured by direct bacterial quantification. What has never been established is the step from a bifidobacterial count to a clinical outcome, and that step is where the entire prebiotic value proposition sits.
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
It does not lower cholesterol or blood sugar, because it does not thicken
In plain words
Inulin is soluble fibre, but it dissolves without becoming thick. The cholesterol and blood-sugar benefits of fibre depend on thickness, and inulin does not deliver them.
What was measured
Presence or absence of viscosity-dependent cholesterol and glycaemic effects, by fibre type
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
This entry records a failure.
From the source
McRorie and McKeown set out the physical basis directly: clinically meaningful small-bowel benefits are highly correlated with viscosity, so high-viscosity gel-forming fibres such as beta-glucan, psyllium and raw guar gum lower cholesterol and improve glycaemic control, "whereas nonviscous soluble fibers (eg, inulin, fructooligosaccharides, and wheat dextrin) and insoluble fibers (eg, wheat bran) do not provide these viscosity-dependent health benefits." Inulin is named explicitly in the group that does not. This is not a null result from an underpowered trial; it is a mechanistic exclusion. Bile acid sequestration and slowed glucose diffusion both require a viscous luminal gel, and a fibre that dissolves to a thin solution cannot produce either. The practical consequence is that psyllium's FDA-authorised heart disease claim and inulin's EFSA stool-frequency claim are not interchangeable evidence, and "added fibre" on a package tells a reader nothing about which kind they have bought.
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
Ten grams of oligofructose substantially worsened symptoms in healthy people
In plain words
In a controlled crossover in 26 healthy adults with no history of gut problems, a 10-gram dose of the short-chain form clearly increased gastrointestinal symptoms.
What was measured
Summed score across seven gastrointestinal tolerance domains after 5 g and 10 g fibre challenges
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
This entry records a failure.
From the source
Bonnema and colleagues ran a randomised, double-blind, controlled crossover in 26 healthy men and women aged 18 to 60 with no history of gastrointestinal conditions, comparing 5 g and 10 g doses of oligofructose and of native inulin against placebo, each delivered in a breakfast of bagel, cream cheese and orange juice, with a seven-domain tolerance questionnaire at 0, 2, 4, 24 and 48 hours. Both inulin fibres tended to increase symptoms mildly, with flatulence the most frequently reported and bloating second. The 10 g dose of oligofructose substantially increased gastrointestinal symptoms compared with control. The authors concluded that up to 10 g/day of native inulin and up to 5 g/day of oligofructose were well tolerated. Two things follow. First, chain length matters: the shorter oligofructose ferments faster and closer to the proximal colon and is tolerated at half the dose. Second, these were healthy people selected for having no gut complaints, which is not the population buying gut-health supplements.
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
In dysbiotic mice, inulin caused liver cancer — and the authors said so plainly
In plain words
A Cell paper found that adding inulin to the diet of mice with a disturbed gut microbiome caused liver cancer. Insoluble fibre did not, and germ-free mice were protected.
What was measured
Incidence of icteric hepatocellular carcinoma in dysbiotic, germ-free and antibiotic-treated mice on inulin-containing diets
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
This entry records a failure.
From the source
Singh and colleagues incorporated soluble fibre inulin into a compositionally defined diet and observed icteric hepatocellular carcinoma. The effect was microbiota-dependent: it occurred in multiple strains of dysbiotic mice, but not in germ-free animals and not in antibiotic-treated animals, and insoluble fibre did not produce it. An inulin-enriched high-fat diet induced both dysbiosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in wild-type mice. The progression ran through early-onset cholestasis, hepatocyte death and neutrophilic liver inflammation. Pharmacologic inhibition of fermentation, or depletion of the fermenting bacteria, markedly reduced intestinal short-chain fatty acids and prevented the cancer, and giving cholestyramine to prevent bile acid reabsorption was also protective. The authors' own conclusion is the appropriate weight to give this: "its benefits notwithstanding, enrichment of foods with fermentable fiber should be approached with great caution as it may increase risk of HCC." This is a mouse study and has not been shown in humans. It is also the reason a fibre added to processed food at industrial scale deserves a human safety programme rather than an assumption.
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
The best human outcome result is calcium absorption in adolescents
In plain words
A year-long randomised trial in pubertal teenagers found inulin-type fructans increased calcium absorption and produced measurably more bone mineral over twelve months.
What was measured
Fractional calcium absorption by stable isotope, and one-year change in whole-body bone mineral content and density
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Abrams and colleagues randomised pubertal adolescents to 8 g/day of a mixed short- and long-chain inulin-type fructan or maltodextrin placebo, measuring calcium absorption by stable isotope at baseline, 8 weeks and 1 year, and bone mineral content and density before randomisation and at 1 year. Calcium absorption was greater in the fructan group at 8 weeks (difference 8.5 +/- 1.6%, P < 0.001) and still greater at 1 year (5.9 +/- 2.8%, P = 0.04). At one year the fructan group had a greater increment in whole-body bone mineral content (35 +/- 16 g, P = 0.03) and whole-body bone mineral density (0.015 +/- 0.004 g/cm2, P = 0.01). An interaction with the Fok1 vitamin D receptor polymorphism was present, with ff-genotype subjects showing the least initial response. This is a genuine hard-ish outcome from a year-long randomised trial with an isotopic mechanism measurement attached, and it deserves recording as the strongest human result inulin has. It is also in growing adolescents during peak bone accrual, which is the population where any calcium intervention has the most room to act, and it did not achieve an EFSA authorised claim.
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
The same molecule is a gut-health supplement and a FODMAP to be eliminated
In plain words
Fructans are the F in FODMAP. The compound sold to improve digestion is one of the compounds gastroenterologists ask people with IBS to remove.
What was measured
That a fermentable fibre marketed for gut health is appropriate for people with functional gut symptoms
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Halmos and colleagues ran a randomised controlled single-blind cross-over feeding trial showing that a diet low in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols reduced symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome relative to a typical Australian diet, with all food provided. Fructans — inulin and oligofructose — are the principal oligosaccharide class in that acronym. The two positions are not actually contradictory once the mechanism is stated: rapid colonic fermentation produces short-chain fatty acids and gas, the first of which is the claimed benefit and the second of which is the symptom, and which one dominates depends on the person's baseline gut sensitivity and microbiota. But the marketing does not state the mechanism, and the result is a product sold for digestive comfort to a population for whom the standard clinical advice is to remove it.
This order is fixed in code and does not count clicks or time on the page.
What is not here
4 questions this page could not answer
These sections were prepared and left out because there was nothing to put in them. They are listed rather than hidden, so the gaps in this record are visible.
How long anything takes — found nothing in the sources checked.
What it may clash with — found nothing in the sources checked.
Other ways to the same goal — found nothing in the sources checked.
What changed on this page — found nothing in the sources checked.
The record as stored
The full record, for auditing
Everything above is built from what is below. This layer keeps the technical vocabulary, record identifiers and every stored row, so a reader who wants to check the page can.
The older medicine-wide conclusion held in this record
Written for a clinical reader, and about the medicine as a whole rather than about one indication, population and set of trials. RNAWiki does not treat it as a programme conclusion and no reviewer has signed it off in that form. It is here word for word because it is what the record holds.
Inulin reliably increases bifidobacteria and holds a single authorised European claim for increasing stool frequency; it does not lower cholesterol or improve glycaemic control because it is not viscous, it causes dose-dependent flatulence and bloating with 10 g of oligofructose substantially worsening symptoms in healthy adults, and in dysbiotic mice it induced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Recorded evidence blocks (14)
Q1
What did Inulin's largest trial (600 people) and its longest (11 years) measure?
600 people in Inulin's largest registered study, 11 years in its longest registered window, measuring Improvement of frailty. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01
73 na, 9 phase2, 5 early phase1, 4 phase1, 2 phase4, 1 na or unstated; NCT00494429; 2015-11. Last human test completed 2026, NCT07112248.
Interpretation These counts include studies where Inulin was a comparison treatment, a background treatment or an exposure in an observational study, and the longest window may be a planned end date. Trial roles have not yet been classified for this record.
Show the evidence
na
73
phase2
9
early phase1
5
phase1
4
phase4
2
na or unstated
1
1 more recorded row
Last recorded human testNCT07112248
2026-01-05
recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q2
From yeast to human: where has Inulin shown lifespan?
292 mice; cohorts C2014; cohort rows are the workbook's own printed values; no median, percent change or survival statistic is derived from the per-animal data
Show the evidence
ITP cohortC2014
inulin; 600; 11.0 months; f, m; ITP_C2014_Lifespan.xlsx
recorded 2026-09-04 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q4
9 of Inulin's trials stopped: accrual/recruitment, funding/business, other?
accrual/recruitment (1), funding/business (3) and other (5): Inulin's stop wording, clustered. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01
"Non availability of funding"; 9 of 91 registered studies
Show the evidence
Trial
NCT00938561
withdrawn; "Non availability of funding"
NCT03914495
terminated; "PI carefully considered multiple factors and decided to close study to any further enrollment."
NCT03983434
terminated; "Study physician left the university"
NCT04114513
withdrawn; "COVID-19 lockdown"
NCT04124016
suspended; "COVID"
NCT04670133
withdrawn; "This study was planned before the COVID-19 pandemic and will not be pursued due to a change in research focus post-pandemic."
3 further recorded trials
NCT05254340
terminated; "Study physician left the university"
NCT06404749
terminated; "The sponsor company was dissolved, resulting in insufficient funding to continue production of the investigational dietary supplement."
NCT06566157
withdrawn; "Funding partners dissolved prior to study launch"
recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q5
Mouse studies of Inulin used 600 ppm — over how long?
Mouse studies of Inulin used "600 ppm". clinicaltrials.gov+jax-mpd-itp · 2026-09-04
2 recorded entries; mouse, human; also "Inulin 20 mg"
Show the evidence
mouseinulin C2014
600 ppm
humanNCT05532488
Inulin 20 mg
recorded 2026-09-04 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q6
Could one person measure Inulin's effect on pouch mucosal proliferation index at 0 1 and 2 months?
Pouch mucosal proliferation index at 0 1 and 2 months: measured in Inulin's trials.
pouch mucosal proliferation index at 0 1 and 2 months is the recorded endpoint.
Show the evidence
biomarkers
pouch mucosal proliferation index at 0 1 and 2 months; 2026-09-01
pouch mucosal apoptosis index at 0 1 and 2 months; 2026-09-01
renal plasma flow; 2026-09-01
glomerular filtration rate; 2026-09-01
gut microbiota composition; 2026-09-01
appetite food intake; 2026-09-01
14 more recorded rows
biomarkers
body weight; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
body weight number of gained 3 of their baseline body weight; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
food intake; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
satiety response using visual analogue scales; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
weight; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
blood lipids; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
glycaemic control; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
insulin sensitivity; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
incremental area under the serum acetate response curve; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
mineral metabolism; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
serum acetate response; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
baseline in colonic gas; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
weight loss compared to baseline; 2026-09-01
biomarkers
glucose disposal; 2026-09-01
human trials at or under30
39
Not recorded for this substance
a recorded half-life
smallest human trial
0; NCT00938561; NA_OR_UNSTATED; the smallest recorded human enrolment at or below 30; the registry states no direction of its result; WITHDRAWN
Q7
Which of abundance of bifidobacterium at baseline and month 6, alpha and beta bacterial diversity measures in stool and appetite food intake did Inulin's trials measure?
abundance of bifidobacterium at baseline and month 6, alpha and beta bacterial diversity measures in stool and appetite food intake lead 40 outcome terms across Inulin's trials. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01
glomerular filtration rate, gut microbiota composition, appetite food intake, body weight, body weight number of gained 3 of their baseline body weight and food intake follow.
Show the evidence
pouch mucosal proliferation index at 0 1 and 2 months
1
pouch mucosal apoptosis index at 0 1 and 2 months
1
renal plasma flow
1
glomerular filtration rate
1
gut microbiota composition
1
appetite food intake
1
14 more recorded rows
body weight
1
body weight number of gained 3 of their baseline body weight
1
food intake
1
satiety response using visual analogue scales
1
weight
1
blood lipids
1
glycaemic control
1
insulin sensitivity
1
incremental area under the serum acetate response curve
1
mineral metabolism
1
serum acetate response
1
baseline in colonic gas
1
weight loss compared to baseline
1
glucose disposal
1
recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q8
Which of Inulin's 23 ongoing trials reports first?
Change in HbA1c; Plasma concentration of Zonulin-1; latest 2031-08-01
Show the evidence
Trial
NCT04698330
"Effects Of Berberine Plus Inulin On Diabetes Care in Patients With LADA"; n 240; "Change in HbA1c"; 2026-12
NCT05071131
"Effect of Inulin on Gut Microbiota and Gut Barrier in Chronic Kidney Disease"; n 40; "Plasma concentration of Zonulin-1"; 2027-02-01
NCT05353504
"Impact of Microbiome-changing Interventions on Food Decision-making"; n 90; "blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) activity during food wanting"; 2026-12
NCT05860322
"The Effect of Inulin Supplementation on Colorectal Surgery Outcomes"; n 40; "Change in the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) before and after treatment."; 2028-08-01
NCT06372249
"A Clinical Trial of Soluble Fiber for Asthma"; n 105; "Alpha diversity."; 2027-05-31
NCT06420401
"Prebiotics and the Management of Hyperuricemia"; n 160; "Change of serum uric acid"; 2026-12-31
14 further recorded trials
NCT06528041
"Impact of Native Chicory Inulin on Change and Persistence of Gut Microbiota"; n 52; "Changes in Bifidobacterium counts in stool samples"; 2026-07-30
NCT06551961
"Effect of Chronic Feeding of Inulin And Methylcellulose on Colonic Fermentation"; n 35; "Breath hydrogen 0-6 hours post ingestion"; 2025-06-30
NCT06553729
"Effects of Vitamin D and Prebiotic Supplementation on Glucose Control During Pregnancy"; n 500; "Concentration of fasting blood glucose"; 2026-12-31
NCT06607523
"The Gut-Brain Axis During Neurorehabilitation; Prebiotic Treatment to Alter the Gut Microbiome and Neurologic Symptoms"; n 130; "Quantify absolute abundance of gut microbiome using metagenomic analysis at baseline"; 2028-10-01
NCT06668922
"Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Control Volunteers: Diet Challenge"; n 72; "Total fecal bile acids"; 2030-12-31
NCT06738550
"Effect of Agave Inulin on Constipation and Quality of Life in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients."; n 45; "Constipation"; 2025-08-31
NCT06823557
"Investigation of the Mechanisms of the Gut-brain Axis in Binge Eating and Obesity."; n 104; "Gut Microbiota outcomes - Gut-Bacteria Composition"; 2030-03
NCT06866262
"Inulin Gel in Combination With Ipilimumab and Nivolumab for the Treatment of Metastatic or Locally Advanced Kidney Cell Cancer, ICON Trial"; n 55; "6-month progression free survival (PFS)"; 2031-08-01
NCT07050888
"Effect of Inulin Supplementation on Glycaemic Control and Immunological Parameters in Type 1 Diabetes (2024)"; n 76; "Time in range"; 2027-04
NCT07095426
"Impact of Supplemental Fiber on Gut and Vascular Health Related in Obesity Phenotypes"; n 20; "Serum Soluble Cluster of Differentiation 14 (sCD14)"; 2027-05
NCT07189585
"Inulin Supplementation for Reducing Inflammation and Knee Pain in Older Adults With Osteoarthritis"; n 84; "Change in serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) concentration from baseline to 8 weeks"; 2027-07-31
NCT07525180
"Comparing Prebiotic Fiber Supplements for Gut Health and Digestive Comfort"; n 125; "Change in Average Daily Flatus from Baseline (Week 1) to Week 2, Comparing LOAM Prebiotic Fiber to Inulin"; 2026-08-01
NCT07537192
"Inulin-Spirulina Co-intervention for Insomnia Disorder"; n 180; "Change in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Score"; 2027-04-30
NCT07592975
"Effect of a Food Intervention With a Prebiotic Alone or Combined With B-vitamins on Gut Microbiota Diversity, Inflammation and Mental Health Outcomes in Older Adults (GutFood)"; n 84; "Gut microbiome profile"; 2026-12
recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q9
Which running trial of Inulin could settle lifespan?
NCT06866262 measures 6-month progression free survival (PFS), reading out 2031-08-01.
1 open trial; n 55; "Inulin Gel in Combination With Ipilimumab and Nivolumab for the Treatment of Metastatic or Locally Advanced Kidney Cell Cancer, ICON Trial"
Show the evidence
TrialNCT06866262
"Inulin Gel in Combination With Ipilimumab and Nivolumab for the Treatment of Metastatic or Locally Advanced Kidney Cell Cancer, ICON Trial"; n 55; "6-month progression free survival (PFS)"; 2031-08-01
Q10
Which 35 trials of Inulin posted no result?
Posted no result
35 of 35 completed trials
Registrations
NCT00431665, NCT01505023, NCT01025375, NCT00616057, NCT01130792 and NCT01483092, and 29 more
Completion dates
oldest 2000-06; newest 2024-07-31
Show the evidence
Trial
NCT00431665
2000-06
NCT01505023
2007-02
NCT01025375
2010-02
NCT00616057
2011-06
NCT01130792
2011-07
NCT01483092
2012-01
14 further recorded trials
NCT01233024
2012-02
NCT02795559
2012-07
NCT02562014
2013-01
NCT01913678
2014-07-03
NCT02518659
2015-06
NCT00494429
2015-11
NCT02229500
2015-12
NCT02727166
2015-12
NCT01327079
2017-12
NCT03852069
2018-05
NCT02346838
2018-07
NCT02718885
2018-07
NCT03711383
2018-11-15
NCT03577145
2018-12-31
Q11
At the median, Inulin's trials enrolled 40 people — anything larger?
Median enrolment
40
Largest enrolment
600
Registered trials counted
91
Q12
What do 68 spontaneous reports say about Inulin — and not say?
These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction. Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing. The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete. News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report. A count is not a rate and not a risk.
Inulin appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 4 most-reported reaction terms, 68 reaction mentions were counted: coma 17; gastrooesophageal reflux disease 17; pneumonia aspiration 17; somnolence 17. open-targets-adr · CHEMBL1201646 · 2026-06-24
Show the evidence
coma
17
gastrooesophageal reflux disease
17
pneumonia aspiration
17
somnolence
17
recorded 2026-06-24 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q13
Was Inulin studied with fasting, caloric restriction and exercise?
fasting, caloric restriction and exercise are named in Inulin's label sentences: "During one of the fasting periods, participants consumed additionally 24 g of inulin daily." openfda-label+europepmc · 2025-09-01
3 recorded statements; fasting, caloric restriction, exercise
Show the evidence
fasting
During one of the fasting periods, participants consumed additionally 24 g of inulin daily.
caloric restriction
A randomized, single-blinded, multicentric, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in obese participants who received 16 g/day native inulin versus maltodextrin, coupled to dietary advice to consume inulin-rich versus -poor vegetables for 3 months, respectively, in addition to dietary caloric restriction.
exercise
We conducted a randomised controlled cross‐over trial with 21 healthy and active males (35.0 ± 6.9 years; 24.4 ± 2.7 kg/m²) to investigate the effect of 15 g of inulin (prebiotic) on exercise performance (15 km cycle time trial), compared to placebo.
recorded 2025-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q14
What is recorded about Inulin and AMPK?
"Collectively, these findings establish a novel Faecalibacterium-spermidine-ALDH1A2-retinoic acid-AMPK-SIRT1 axis through which inulin alleviates FLHS, highlighting inulin as a dietary intervention targeting the gut-liver axis and offering novel therapeutic avenues for preventing this disorder in laying hens." — where Inulin and AMPK appear together. Europe PMC · pathway abstract search · 2026-06-08
"Collectively, these findings establish a novel Faecalibacterium-spermidine-ALDH1A2-retinoic acid-AMPK-SIRT1 axis through which inulin alleviates FLHS, highlighting inulin as a dietary intervention targeting the gut-liver axis and offering novel therapeutic avenues for preventing this disorder in laying hens."
sirtuinPMID 42259828
"Collectively, these findings establish a novel Faecalibacterium-spermidine-ALDH1A2-retinoic acid-AMPK-SIRT1 axis through which inulin alleviates FLHS, highlighting inulin as a dietary intervention targeting the gut-liver axis and offering novel therapeutic avenues for preventing this disorder in laying hens."
mTOR
PMID 38072026
"Inulin intervention alleviated PFOA-induced enterotoxicity by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and increasing the protein expression of Wnt1, β-catenin, PI3K, Akt3, and p62, while suppressing MAP LC3β, TNF-α, and CyclinE expression."
PMID 38072026
"These findings suggested that PFOA-induced intestinal injury, including inflammation and tight junction disruption, was mitigated by inulin through modifying the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways."
PMID 31640197
"Inulin significantly upregulated the expression of mammalian rapamycin target protein (<i>mTOR</i>) but decreased (<i>p</i> < 0.05) the expression level of muscle-specific ubiquitin ligase <i>MuRF-1</i>."
IGF-1PMID 26844335
"Lack of insulin receptor signaling in Leprechaunism may result in the rare event of an alive but severely small for gestational age baby that will only survive if treated with recombinant-IGF-1 to substitute inulin receptor signaling with IGF1R signaling via their common intracellular pathways."
AMPK
PMID 19857065
"In this study, we showed that inulin increased the uptake of glucose in C2C12 myotubes, which was associated with both AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) signaling pathways, but both of these pathways appeared to transmit their signals in an independent manner."
PMID 19857065
"Collectively, we report the antidiabetic activity of inulin and further demonstrate for the first time that such activity is associated with AMPK and PI3-K activation."
recorded 2026-06-08 · last checked 2026-09-04
Where it is registeredIdentifiers, relations and other names
Inulin component of iqp-ae-103, Sold as chicory root fibre, oligofructose, fructooligosaccharide (FOS) or agave inulin; branded ingredients include Orafti and Frutafit
Sources (11)
Sources
ClinicalTrials.govClinicalTrials.gov API v2 snapshot 2026-09-01T09:00:05 ·
ClinicalTrials.gov — US Government work · Europe PMC — metadata only, under the recorded legal gate · NIA ITP via the JAX Mouse Phenome Database · Open Targets 26.06 — CC0 · derived from this page's own recorded fields; no external licence · mixed register set; per-register licences in docs/specs/corpus-20k-sources.md · openFDA / DailyMed — US Government work
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