# Inulin and the fibre gap: what a prebiotic really does in the gut

> Roughly ten grams of fibre a day separate recommendation from reality. What inulin triggers in the colon - and how WOO® Metabolic in the tin makes the entry easy.

Dietary fibre is the one part of food humans cannot digest - which is precisely what makes it interesting. It is used not by you but by the bacteria in your large intestine. Between recommendation and actual intake, Europe shows a gap of roughly ten grams a day.

## The fibre gap is well documented

Adults are advised to eat about 30 grams daily. Stephen and colleagues (2017) collated the European surveys: mean intake mostly sits between 18 and 24 grams. The gap comes from many small decisions - white bread instead of wholegrain, juice instead of fruit, pulses on Sundays at best.

How much this matters is shown by the largest analysis to date: Reynolds and colleagues (2019) pooled 185 prospective studies and 58 controlled trials in The Lancet. The result was dose-dependent, and the benefit kept rising up to at least 25 to 29 grams a day.

## What inulin is - and where it acts

**Inulin** belongs to the fructans: chains of fructose units joined by a β(2→1) bond that human digestive enzymes cannot cleave. Inulin therefore passes stomach and small intestine unchanged and reaches the colon intact - where its actual job begins. Natural sources are chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke and globe artichokes.

In the colon it is selectively fermented by bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Roberfroid and colleagues (2010) describe this bifidogenic effect as one of the most reliably reproduced observations in prebiotic research - measurable at just a few grams a day.

## Short-chain fatty acids are the real product

Fermentation produces **short-chain fatty acids**: acetate, propionate and butyrate. Koh and colleagues (2016) summarised in Cell what they do - and it is more than supplying energy. Butyrate is the preferred fuel of the colon cells themselves, propionate travels to the liver, acetate reaches the peripheral circulation.

The signalling function is the interesting part: through G-protein-coupled receptors they feed into the release of the satiety hormones **PYY** and **GLP-1** - a hormonal axis that starts in the colon.

## Ease in rather than jump in

Fermentation means gas, and anyone jumping from 15 to 25 grams notices it on day two. A build-up over two to three weeks with more fluid is the sensible route; those sensitive to fructans start smaller.

This is exactly where the tin differs in practice: it lets you dose yourself. Half a serving in week one, three quarters in week two, the full amount after that - with pre-packed sachets that is not possible.

## How WOO® Metabolic in the tin puts this into practice

The 300 g tin equals 30 servings of 10 grams. The base is inulin at around 67 percent, just under seven grams of fermentable fibre per serving. Added to that are 13 vitamins from plant sources - quinoa sprout, acerola cherry, Blakeslea trispora and sunflower extract - complemented by fruit and vegetable powders. With Care300® and Mito Beauty®, [WOO® Metabolic](/en/shop/woo-metabolic-can) contains two extracts related to metabolism and the immune system.

Each serving provides among other things 25.6 mg of **vitamin C**, which contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Use: 10 g in 250 ml of water, ideally in the morning with breakfast or between 9 and 10 o'clock. Vegan, lactose-free, gluten-free.

## Frequent questions

**How long until something happens?**
The shift in gut flora is measurable in studies after one to two weeks. A powder replaces neither vegetables nor wholegrain.

**Bloating at the start: normal or a bad sign?**
Normal, because fermentation produces gas. Reduce the serving and increase more slowly. If symptoms persist, medical assessment beats pushing through.

**Tin or sachets?**
Same formula, different logic. The tin is the better entry form because you choose the amount yourself. The sachet box plays its strength when travelling.

## Sources

Stephen AM et al. (2017), Nutrition Research Reviews - Dietary fibre in Europe: definitions, sources, recommendations, intakes and relationships to health.
Reynolds A et al. (2019), The Lancet - Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Roberfroid M et al. (2010), British Journal of Nutrition - Prebiotic effects: metabolic and health benefits.
Koh A et al. (2016), Cell - From dietary fibre to host physiology: short-chain fatty acids as key bacterial metabolites.

*WOO® Metabolic in the 300 g tin at the NEMAPO shop.*