When it comes to dietary fiber, the character "inulin" is bound to enter our conversation. From dietary supplements to baby milk powder; from beverages to various pastries, inulin is increasingly appearing in our field of vision. Organic Inulin powder appears to be the perfect food ingredient to lower blood lipids and promote weight loss while protecting the liver and improving gut health…
Inulin is related to fructooligosaccharides (FOS). The sugar chains of fructo-oligosaccharides are shorter, while inulin is longer; therefore, inulin is fermented more slowly and produces gas more slowly. Inulin is slightly sweet, one-tenth as sweet as cane sugar p, but contains no calories.
Inulin powder is one of the most studied prebiotics, and many human trials have shown that inulin has some good health effects. Among them, those with high evidence (supported by human randomized controlled trials) include: improving hyperlipidemia, improving constipation, helping weight loss, and promoting the absorption of trace elements.
We know organic inulin powder has many health benefits but does it work for everyone? For healthy people, excessive intake of inulin (more than 0.29g/kg) can easily cause abdominal distension and abdominal discomfort. For some people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), small amounts of inulin (less than 5g) may cause problems. For this group of people, a small amount of gas produced by the fermentation of FODMAPs may cause symptoms of bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bowel sounds. However, inulin is diffuse, which may aggravate the symptoms of some IBS patients, so these patients are often restricted from using inulin.
Psyllium is a type of psyllium husk that comes from the Asian psyllium plant. The husk of psyllium is ground into a powder, which provides us with an abundance of soluble fiber, which helps slow digestion and absorbs various nutrients in food. Recently, experts from the Biomedical Research Center of the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom studied whether the co-administration of psyllium husk and inulin can reduce the production of gas, and the results were published in the top gastrointestinal journal GUT.
The researchers conducted a randomized, four-period, four-treatment, placebo-controlled crossover trial in 19 IBS patients. Subjects ingested 500 ml of a test drink containing 20 g of inulin, 20 g of psyllium, 20 g of inulin + 20 g of psyllium, or 20 g of glucose (placebo). Breathing hydrogen was measured every 30 minutes and MRI scans were performed every hour for 6 hours. Stool samples from a subset of IBS patients were tested using an in vitro fermentation model. The primary endpoint was the assessment of colonic gas by MRI.
The results showed that colonic gas increased steadily from 0 to 6 hours, and the inulin group had the largest increase, with a median (IQR) AUC (0-360min) of 3145 (848-6502) ml-min. After co-administration of inulin and psyllium, this value decreased significantly to 618 (62-2345) mL-min, and the results were not significantly different from placebo.
Compared with the placebo group, the colonic volume AUC (0-360 minutes) of the inulin group and the combination of inulin and psyllium were significantly increased. After inulin but not psyllium, breathing hydrogen increased significantly from 120 minutes; co-administration of psyllium and inulin delayed and reduced the maximum increase, AUC (0-360 minutes) from 7230 (3255-17910 ) ppm-hour to 1035 (360-4320) ppm-hour.
In further in vitro experiments, the researchers found that inulin produced more gas than psyllium when fermented in vitro. But combining psyllium with inulin did not reduce gas production.
CONCLUSIONS: Psyllium reduces inulin-related gas production in IBS patients, but does not directly inhibit fermentation. Whether co-administration with psyllium increases the tolerance of probiotics in IBS deserves further study.
JOYWIN dedicate to organic inulin powder for more than ten years. We are the largest organic inulin and Jerusalem artichoke inulin manufacturer in the world. If you want to know more about inulin or are interested in purchasing, you can send an email to contact@joywinworld.com. We will reply to you as soon as possible after you see the message.