Chicory

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Weight management²

  In people, chicory inulin-type fructans reduced body weight, BMI, and waist size compared with placebo.

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria and bowel habits³

  Chicory inulin-type fructans increased Bifidobacterium in the gut in people aged 0 to 83, and improved bowel function in healthy people.

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria in adults⁴

  In healthy adults, chicory fiber in snack bars raised levels of Bifidobacterium, a helpful gut germ.

• Benefit

  Blood flow and clotting⁵

  In people, drinking chicory coffee daily for a week made blood flow more easily and lowered a marker of inflammation.

• Benefit

  Constipation relief⁷

  In people with constipation, chicory inulin helped them go to the toilet more often each week.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and liver health⁸

  In women with type 2 diabetes, two months of chicory lowered blood sugar, liver enzyme levels and blood pressure.

• Open question

  Gut bacteria and digestion⁹

  In people, eating chicory inulin boosted gut bacteria and gas, but barely changed how often they went to the toilet.

• Open question

  Gut comfort¹⁰

  A chicory extract with inulin caused slight belly discomfort at higher amounts, but was fine at lower amounts.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol removal from cells¹¹

  In overweight adults, eating Brussels chicory for 8 weeks modestly improved how well their HDL cholesterol clears cholesterol from cells.

• Open question

  Blood vessel health¹²

  In overweight men, eating Brussels chicory changed how their HDL cholesterol worked after meals, though blood vessel widening did not change.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria health¹⁴

  In lab studies, chicory inulin feeds gut bacteria, and longer molecules ferment about half as fast as shorter ones.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and cholesterol¹⁵

  In animal studies, chicory improved blood sugar, blood fats, inflammation and oxidative stress, but human evidence is limited.

• Benefit

  Gut inflammation¹⁶

  Chicory root extract blocked a body chemical tied to inflammation in colon cells.

How it’s made and used

• How the body handles it⁶

  In people, chicory's sesquiterpene lactones were poorly absorbed and partly broken down by gut bacteria.

• Nutritional value of a salad leaf¹³

  Chicory leaves hold sugars, fiber and inulin, and its root is a rich natural source of inulin.

• Gut bacteria and appetite¹⁷

  In animal studies, chicory flour changed gut bacteria and genes tied to appetite and blood sugar.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.