Chicory root fiber: A natural solution to balance blood sugar levels
Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is essential for everyone, not just those with diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance and pre-diabetes affect millions of people worldwide and can lead to more serious health issues if left unaddressed. Promoting healthy blood sugar management is crucial across all life stages, from infancy to old age and particularly during pregnancy.

Chicory root fiber, a prebiotic non-digestible carbohydrate, also known as inulin or oligofructose, offers a natural and effective way to help manage blood glucose levels. This dietary fiber has been shown to significantly lower blood sugar and insulin responses without compromising the taste of foods, even when replacing as little as 20% of available carbohydrates. Chicory root fiber works by replacing high glycemic carbohydrates, helping to lower blood glucose and insulin responses after meals. Additionally, as a result of the prebiotic fermentation, the production of GLP-1 is stimulated, a gut hormone that plays a key role in regulating blood sugar levels. This mechanism can enhance early insulin release in response to meals, leading to more balanced blood sugar levels.

A systematic review of 26 intervention studies confirmed that chicory root fiber effectively reduces postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels, reinforcing its potential as a valuable dietary tool for blood sugar management.
In the long term, studies have demonstrated that consuming chicory root fiber can improve insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation, particularly in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance, even without making other lifestyle changes.
In healthy individuals, the addition of inulin to the daily diet can significantly reduce glucose fluctuations throughout the day. Incorporating chicory root fiber into the daily diet is a simple yet effective way to support better blood sugar control.
Whether the goal is to prevent glucose tolerance issues or to improve overall health, chicory root fiber can help manage blood sugar levels naturally. Explore the various food applications where chicory root fiber can be found.
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References
Cani PD, Lecourt E, Dewulf EM et al. (2009): Gut microbiota fermentation of prebiotics increases satietogenic and incretin gut peptide production with consequences for appetite sensation and glucose response after a meal. Am J Clin Nutr 90 (5):1236–1243. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/90/5/1236.full.pdf
Kellow NJ, Coughlan MT, Reid CM (2014) Metabolic benefits of dietary prebiotics in human subjects: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Br J Nutr 111(7):1147–1161. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24230488
Kordowski A, Künstner A, Schweitzer L et al. (2022) Palatinose™ (Isomaltulose) and Prebiotic Inulin-Type Fructans Have Beneficial Effects on Glycemic Response and Gut Microbiota Composition in Healthy Volunteers—A Real-Life, Retrospective Study of a Cohort That Participated in a Digital Nutrition Program. Front Nutr 9:829933. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.829933/full
Lightowler H, Thondre S, Holz A et al. (2018) Replacement of glycaemic carbohydrates by inulin-type fructans from chicory (oligofructose, inulin) reduces the post- prandial blood glucose and insulin response to foods: Report of two double-blind, randomized, controlled trials. Eur J Nutr 57(3): 1259–1268. https://rd.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs00394-017-1409-z.pdf
Russo F, Riezzo G, Chiloiro M et al. (2010) Metabolic effects of a diet with inulin-enriched pasta in healthy young volunteers. Curr Pharm Des 16(7):825–831. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20388093