Chicory root compounds tested in mice and human cells
What it found
In mice fed chicory root compounds for 30 days, and in human cells tested in the lab, the authors found changes in genes, hormones and gut bacteria that suggest several possible health effects.
Fructose seemed to account for most of the responses.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Gene activity changes
In mice, chicory and its compounds changed the activity of genes involved in cell growth, immune response, metabolism, nerve development and antioxidant defence. Fructose caused similar changes to whole chicory for 48 genes, while chlorogenic acids and sesquiterpene lactones each matched 18 genes.
Hormone levels
In mice, chlorogenic acids lowered leptin, a hormone linked to body fat, and sesquiterpene lactones raised GIP, a hormone that stimulates insulin release. Whole chicory did not significantly change these hormones.
Gut bacteria
In mice, chicory and its compounds changed the amounts of several gut bacteria. Some bacteria increased, including Prevotellaceae and butyrate producers, while others decreased, including Ruminococcus and Faecalibacterium. The ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes dropped with sesquiterpene lactones.
Cell death in cancer cells
In lab tests on human liver cancer cells, chicory decoction increased cell death in a dose-dependent way. Of the single compounds, only sesquiterpene lactones at 75 and 100 micromolar significantly increased cell death.
Inflammation in immune cells
In lab tests on human immune cells, chicory decoction reduced the release of three inflammatory cytokines. Chlorogenic acids and sesquiterpene lactones seemed to lower interleukin levels, while fructose was linked to lower TNF-alpha.
Antioxidant activity
In cell-free lab tests, chicory flour extracts reduced superoxide anions from 0.5 mg per mL and hydroxyl radicals from 1 mg per mL.
What the authors conclude
“Fructose seems to be the most involved in these activities, contributing to approximately 83% of recorded responses, but the other classes of tested molecules have shown a specific role for these different effects, with an estimated contribution of 23-24%.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the gene expression changes in mice suggest possible anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and metabolic effects, including effects on bile acid, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, appetite and intestinal absorption.
- They note that fructose seemed to be the most involved compound, contributing to about 83% of all recorded responses, while chlorogenic acids and sesquiterpene lactones each contributed an estimated 23 to 24%.
- They call for further studies to test other molecules in chicory and the role of the food matrix.
How it was done
The authors wanted to understand which molecules in chicory root are responsible for its reported health effects, since the mechanisms were not fully known.
They fed mice a chicory root decoction or one of three compounds (fructose, chlorogenic acids, sesquiterpene lactones) daily for 30 days, then looked at gene activity in liver, ileum and caecum, hormone levels in blood, and gut bacteria in faeces. They also tested these compounds on human liver cancer cells, human immune cells and in cell-free antioxidant assays.
What it can’t tell you
- These are animal and lab studies. They cannot show what happens in people.
- The mouse study lasted only 30 days, so it cannot show long-term effects.
- The lab tests used isolated compounds and cells, not whole foods in a normal diet.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Région des Hauts-de-France - ALIBIOTECH; FEDER (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- SFR Condorcet FR CNRS 3417-Institut Charles Viollette, France; Joint Laboratory CHIC41H University of Lille-Florimond-Desprez, France; University of Liege, Belgium
The paper
- Title
- Chicory: Understanding the Effects and Effectors of This Functional Food
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Pouille CL, Ouaza S, Roels E, et al (2022). Chicory: Understanding the Effects and Effectors of This Functional Food. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu14050957Free full textPubMed 35267932DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error