Chicory inulin and weight management in 32 trials
What it found
In 32 randomized trials in adults, chicory inulin-type fructans reduced body weight by about 0.97 kg on average compared with placebo.
Small reductions were also seen in BMI, fat mass and waist circumference.
What they found
Studies in people
Body weight
Across 29 trials with 1184 people, body weight fell by about 0.97 kg more with chicory inulin-type fructans than with placebo. The authors note that future studies could still show no benefit because of wide variation between studies.
BMI
From 25 trials with 985 people, BMI was about 0.39 kg/m2 lower with chicory inulin-type fructans than with placebo.
Fat mass
In 9 trials with 397 people, total fat mass was about 0.37 kg lower with chicory inulin-type fructans than with placebo.
Waist circumference
From 14 trials with 604 people, waist circumference was about 1.03 cm smaller with chicory inulin-type fructans than with placebo.
Body fat percentage
Across 13 trials with 488 people, body fat percentage did not change significantly overall. But in studies lasting longer than 8 weeks, it fell by about 0.78% more with chicory inulin-type fructans than with placebo.
Dose and duration
The authors found little evidence that the dose, duration or type of inulin-type fructan changed the size of the reductions in most outcomes.
What the authors conclude
“Chicory ITF supplementation may benefit weight management by reducing body weight, BMI, fat mass, waist circumference, and, to a certain extent, body fat percentage.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that chicory inulin-type fructan supplementation may help with weight management by reducing body weight, BMI, fat mass, waist circumference and, to some extent, body fat percentage.
- They suggest that chicory inulin-type fructans may be one strategy or co-therapy to assist with weight management.
How it was done
The authors note that excess body weight is a major public health challenge, and that gut bacteria may play a role in weight regulation. They wanted to assess the evidence specifically for chicory inulin-type fructans, which are known prebiotics.
They pooled 32 randomized controlled trials in adults that compared chicory inulin-type fructans with a placebo or control. The median daily dose was 10 g and the median duration was 12 weeks.
What it can’t tell you
- The trials lasted from 4 to 36 weeks, so the results cannot show what happens over longer periods.
- The authors note wide variation between the trials for body weight and body fat percentage, which makes those results less certain.
- The review only included adults, so the findings may not apply to children or adolescents.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Conflict of interest YCZ and ST are employed by BENEO Institute, c/o BENEO GmbH, Obrigheim/Pfalz, Germany. BENEO is a company involved in production of food ingredients including prebiotic fructans and polyols. RAR has received consulting fees and speaker honoraria related to presentations on prebiotics.
- Authors work at
- University of Calgary, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canada; BENEO Institute c/o BENEO GmbH, Germany
The paper
- Title
- The effects of chicory inulin-type fructans supplementation on weight management outcomes: systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials
- Type
- Systematic review and meta-analysisThe authors follow a set, published method to find every relevant study, then combine the numbers from them into one result.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Reimer RA, Theis S, Zanzer YC (2024). The effects of chicory inulin-type fructans supplementation on weight management outcomes: systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials. The American journal of clinical nutrition. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.09.019Free full textPubMed 39313030DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error