Inulin is a fiber, a complex carbohydrate that gut bacteria use as food, which makes it a "prebiotic"; much of the research uses inulin from chicory root. It is taken mainly for constipation and to feed beneficial gut bacteria such as bifidobacteria.
Also known as: chicory root fiber, inulin-type fructans, fructooligosaccharides, FOS, prebiotic fiber.
Chicory inulin-type fructans in the trials pooled by Nagy 2023 were taken at 3 to 20 g a day for at least 7 days. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements describes prebiotics as complex carbohydrates, such as inulin and other fructooligosaccharides, that microorganisms in the gut use as fuel, and says they should not be confused with probiotics (live microorganisms). Products with both are called synbiotics.
What studies show: a 2014 meta-analysis of 5 trials (252 people with chronic constipation) found more frequent, softer stools and faster transit, but no improvement in pain or bloating (Collado Yurrita 2014); one author worked for a Spanish food company (Corporación Alimentaria Peñasanta). A 2023 meta-analysis of 50 studies (2,525 people) found chicory inulin-type fructans raised gut bifidobacteria and improved bowel function in healthy people (Nagy 2023); two of its authors work at the BENEO-Institute, part of a chicory inulin maker.
The sources here do not describe side effects or drug interactions in detail.
Inulin is a fiber that is fermented by gut bacteria rather than absorbed into the blood, so a half-life or time to peak does not apply.
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