Open Food Labels. Search 816 ingredients⌘K

Study · Nutrients · 2020Conflicts declared

Chicory sesquiterpene lactones in healthy people: absorption and metabolism

Weng H, He L, Zheng J, Li Q, Liu X, Wang D · Free full text

What it found

In 16 healthy people, a single drink of chicory juice led to low levels of certain bitter compounds in blood and urine, with most of the dose recovered in feces.

Lab tests with human feces showed gut bacteria break down some of these compounds.

What they found

Studies in people

Blood levels

After drinking chicory juice, levels of lactucin, 11β,13-dihydrolactucin, and their glucuronide/sulfate conjugates rose in the blood of all participants. The peak total concentration reached 284.46 nmol/L at 1 hour. Lactucopicrin, 11β,13-dihydrolactucopicrin, and all glycosylated forms were not detected.

Urine and feces

In urine, the peak amount of total sesquiterpene lactones was 220.3 nmol between 2 and 6 hours. In feces, free lactucin and 11β,13-dihydrolactucin were found, but no glucuronide/sulfate conjugates or glycosylated forms were detected.

Recovery of dose

Of the total sesquiterpene lactones consumed, 7.03% was recovered in blood, 1.13% in urine, and 43.76% in feces. Glucuronide and sulfate conjugates made up about 10.6% and 11.0% of total sesquiterpene lactones in blood, and 14.9% and 11.2% in urine.

Animal and lab studies

Gut bacteria breakdown

In lab tests, fresh human fecal suspensions completely broke down lactucopicrin and 11β,13-dihydrolactucopicrin within 2 hours, producing lactucin and 11β,13-dihydrolactucin. Heat-treated fecal suspensions did not break them down. Glycosylated sesquiterpene lactones from chicory were also degraded to undetectable levels within 2 hours by fresh fecal suspensions.

What the authors conclude

“Collectively, Brussels/witloof chicory SLs are poorly bioavailable and they undergo partial gut microbial and phase II metabolism in humans.”
Weng H, He L, Zheng J, Li Q, Liu X, Wang D, 2020

Also in their conclusions

  • They conclude that sesquiterpene lactones from Brussels/witloof chicory are likely to be poorly absorbed and undergo partial gut microbial and phase II metabolism in humans.
  • They suggest that it is of interest to investigate whether Brussels/witloof chicory and other sesquiterpene lactone-rich foods recapitulate their effects in humans.

How it was done

The authors wanted to understand how sesquiterpene lactones from chicory are absorbed and processed by the body, since these compounds have shown health-promoting effects in animals and lab studies.

Sixteen healthy volunteers (8 men, 8 women) drank juice made from 150 g of Brussels/witloof chicory, containing 48.77 μmol of sesquiterpene lactones, after an overnight fast. Blood, urine, and fecal samples were collected over 24 hours. In lab tests, human fecal suspensions were incubated with these compounds to see how gut bacteria break them down.

What it can’t tell you

  • This study measured how chicory compounds are absorbed and broken down over 24 hours in healthy people. It cannot show whether these compounds have any health effects in people.
  • The lab tests used fecal samples from one person, so the results may not apply to everyone.

The paper

Title
Low Oral Bioavailability and Partial Gut Microbiotic and Phase II Metabolism of Brussels/Witloof Chicory Sesquiterpene Lactones in Healthy Humans
Type
Study
Evidence
Studies in people · animals · lab
Summarised from
Full text
Licence
CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
Cite
Weng H, He L, Zheng J, Li Q, Liu X, Wang D (2020). Low Oral Bioavailability and Partial Gut Microbiotic and Phase II Metabolism of Brussels/Witloof Chicory Sesquiterpene Lactones in Healthy Humans. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu12123675Free full textPubMed 33260567DOI

Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error