Inulin

Not to be confused with insulin, supplementing with inulin is a simple and easy way to increase your soluble fibre intake and improve your overall health. I put two or three grams of this into the two coffees I allow myself a day. Soluble fibre of any kind provides the following potential benefits;

This all needs sources

food and/or a substrate for your gut bacteria, in particular the beneficial kind such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli - these bacteria;
- fend off unwanted pathogens (bad bacteria)
- prevent infection
- stimulate your immune system
slowing digestion/metabolism (thus slowing glucose/sugar intake when eating simple carbohydrates which in turn may reduce blood glucose/sugar spikes) as well as giving your body more time to absorb other nutrients in the food you eat
increasing fullness/satiation (lowering the risk of overeating)
reducing cholesterol absorption as it passes through the digestive tract
adding bulk to your stools
possibly increasing the frequency of your bowel movements
lowering your colon cancer risk
increasing the effectiveness of and reducing the symptoms of antibiotic use

Particularly useful if you are taking probiotics.

Inulin may also enable your body to better absorb calcium.

Insulin rich foods include;

chicory root (what most supplements are produced from)
Jerusalem artichoke
onion
garlic
barley

A prebiotic.

Forms/Types

Quality

As with all supplements - buyer beware. It's quite common for supplements to be contaminated with a variety of impurities, often in the form of heavy metals, and/or contain far more or less of the ingredients stated on the label. There's no simple rule of thumb to avoid this, such as avoiding cheap or imported products; expensive or well-known brands produced in-country may be just as bad. Ideally you should take some time to find products (if you can) that;

have been laboratory tested on behalf of the manufacturer by a reputable body or company that operates in your country or region (here's an example of a Peak Supps creatine supplement available on Amazon in the UK which has been tested by Eurofins: Creatine Monohydrate Powder 1Kg | Pure Micronised | Packaging May Vary - see pictures 3 & 4)
in the UK & EU, are manufactured in facilities that meet the minimum standards of good manufacturing practice (GMP) in their production processes (for medicines).¹² Facilities are inspected for compliance and manufacturers' product(s) must:
- be of consistent high quality
- be appropriate to their intended use
- meet the requirements of the marketing authorisation (MA) or product specification

Be wary of any manufacturers or brands making claims around these valid but irrelevant standards;

HACCP: this standard relates to food safety which indicates that the seller is claiming their supplement is a food; whilst meeting this standard is worthwhile, GMP (detailed above) would be a more appropriate standard
ISO22000: same as HACPP
ISO9001: this standard is focussed on quality control management systems in the context of managing a business or organisation, not directly on the the quality of the products that business produces (although it may have a beneficial impact)

Dosage - How Much?

Typical dose 3g

Better dose for IBS or constipation: 12g

You will probably want to build up to your target dose slowly as you may find you suffer from flatulence and stomach discomfort in you don't start slow.

Deficiency - Too Little

Toxicity - Too Much

Side Effects

When to Avoid Use - Interactions/Contraindications

Random Facts

References

Metadata

Created: 2026-06-18

Last Updated: 2026-06-18