Chicory inulin – what it is and how it affects digestion?
Inulin is a soluble fiber found in many plants. Most of the inulin is in the chicory root, but it got its name from the Elecampane (Inula helenium) instead. Chemically, it is a fructan (a polymer of fructose molecules, i.e. many fructose molecules are linked together), which helps regulate metabolism.1,2 Inulin is not broken down in the small intestine but is food for bacteria living in the large intestine. Namely, inulin acts as a prebiotic for our intestines, i.e. it promotes the growth of healthy bacteria in the intestine and promotes the restoration of the balance of the microbial community.3,4 Bacteria living in the intestine turn inulin into simple sugars during decomposition and from there into short-chain fatty acids, which nourish and protect the epithelial cells of the colon and offer various other health-promoting effects.