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Inulin, a type of fiber found in certain plant-based foods and fiber supplements, causes inflammation in the gut and exacerbates inflammatory bowel disease in a preclinical model, according to a study. The study shows that inulin, which is found in foods such as garlic, leeks and sunchoke, as well as commonly used fiber supplements and foods with added fiber, stimulates microbes in the gut to release bile acids that increase the production of molecules that promote intestinal inflammation. Feeding inulin to mice in the context of a model of inflammatory bowel disease increased the production of certain bile acids by...

A daily fiber supplement improved brain function in people over 60 in just 12 weeks. The study showed that this simple and cheap addition to diet can improve performance in memory tests associated with early signs of Alzheimer's disease. However, the prebiotic supplements inulin and FOS were found to have no effect on muscle strength over this period. As populations age globally, the prevalence of age-related conditions such as cognitive decline is on the rise. Researchers sought to understand how targeting the microbiota, the diverse community of microorganisms residing in our intestines, using two cheap, commercially available plant fiber supplements...

A study shows that a diet containing suitable amounts of inulin can influence even the length and other macroscopic characteristics of the intestines. This beneficial action is possible only in the presence of bacteria that digest the fiber, however. Positive alterations in immunity are among the healthy interactions. "In mice that ingested a 10% inulin diet, the gut was larger than in mice that consumed only insoluble fiber [cellulose]. When we analyzed their intestinal tissue, we found more epithelial stem cell proliferation in the animals fed an inulin-rich diet. The epithelium is the layer that separates gut contents from other...

A type of dietary fiber called inulin, commonly used in health supplements and known to have certain anti-inflammatory properties, can also promote an allergy-related type of inflammation in the lung and gut, and other parts of the body. The study found that dietary inulin fiber alters the metabolism of certain gut bacteria, which in turn triggers what scientists call type 2 inflammation in the gut and lungs. This type of inflammation is thought to have evolved in mammals chiefly to defend against parasitic worm ("helminth") infections, and is also part of normal wound healing, although its inappropriate activation underlies allergies,...

Many people commonly consume fiber-enriched foods to promote weight loss and prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer. However, in some individuals—particularly those with a silent vascular deformity—consumption of highly refined fiber may increase the risk of liver cancer, new research has found. While inulin promotes metabolic health in most who consume it, Vijay-Kumar and colleagues discovered that about one in 10 standard, seemingly healthy lab mice developed liver cancer following consumption of the inulin-containing diet caused by a previously unnoticed congenital defect called a portosystemic shunt. Normally, blood leaving the intestines goes into the liver where it is...

The health benefits of dietary fiber vary across individuals and may depend on the specific type of fiber and the dose consumed, researchers report. "Our results demonstrate that the physiological, microbial, and molecular effects of individual fibers differ substantially," says senior study author Michael Snyder. Chemically, fibers are diverse in length, branching, solubility, charge, and other properties. "They are studied as complex mixtures from their plant source," Snyder says. "There is a need for determining the effects of individual fibers on the microbiome and for establishing associated health biomarkers, ideally by testing different fibers on the same individuals." To address...