What can you say about inulin in your ads and on your site?

The library supports 4 wordings for inulin; the strongest is “Supports normal bowel function by increasing how often stools are passed” (strong, 12-15 g a day). Avoid wording that names or implies a disease, a drug or a treatment, such as “Relieves or treats constipation, without ‘occasional’”.

Also called: Chicory inulin, Native chicory inulin, Agave inulin, Jerusalem artichoke inulin, Inulin-type fructans

Reviewed 14 October 2026

Not legal advice. This guide shows the wording that published evidence supports at a daily dose, from the sources linked below; it is not a ruling on any claim. Your own product, its form and dose, and your own evidence still need to match the wording you use.

Supported wordings

What you can say.

Strong evidenceWording 1

Claims Facts

“Supports normal bowel function by increasing how often stools are passed.”

Daily dose	12-15 g a day
Support	Authorized in the EU after EFSA found a cause-and-effect relationship at 12 g a day, and Health Canada lists bowel regularity uses at overlapping doses.
Dose details	EU: 12 g native chicory inulin a day, and the consumer is told so. Health Canada: 10-15 g a day of chicory or Jerusalem artichoke inulin for gentle relief of constipation or irregularity, and 2-15 g a day for digestive regularity as part of a fibre-containing diet. Adults 18 and older.
Form	Native chicory inulin (EU); chicory or Jerusalem artichoke inulin (Health Canada)
Sources	Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/2314 (chicory inulin claim) Health Canada monograph: Prebiotics

Moderate evidenceWording 2

Claims Facts

“Helps relieve occasional constipation.”

Daily dose	10-15 g a day
Support	Health Canada lists constipation relief at these doses, and FDA’s 2000 rule counts the ‘occasional’ form as structure-and-function wording.
Dose details	Chicory or Jerusalem artichoke inulin: 10-15 g a day; agave inulin: 7.5-15 g a day. Adults 18 and older. Labeling should make clear the product is not meant for chronic constipation.
Form	Inulin from chicory, Jerusalem artichoke or agave
Source	Health Canada monograph: Prebiotics

Moderate evidenceWording 3

Claims Facts

“A prebiotic fibre that helps feed beneficial gut bacteria such as bifidobacteria.”

Daily dose	5-15 g a day
Support	Health Canada lists it at 5-15 g a day, citing human studies; no other listed source covers it.
Dose details	Adults 18 and older.
Form	Inulin from chicory, Jerusalem artichoke or agave
Source	Health Canada monograph: Prebiotics

Moderate evidenceWording 4

Claims Facts

“A source of fibre that supports a healthy digestive system.”

Daily dose	2-15 g a day
Support	Health Canada lists it; no other listed source covers this wording.
Dose details	Adults 18 and older. Health Canada: at least 4 g a day may be called a high source of fibre, at least 6 g a day a very high source.
Form	Inulin from chicory, Jerusalem artichoke or agave
Source	Health Canada monograph: Prebiotics

How strong the evidence is

Strong evidence: At least two listed sources support it independently at a comparable dose and form, and none disagrees.
Moderate evidence: One listed source supports it as an evidence-based use at that dose, and no listed source disagrees.
Limited evidence: The only support is traditional use, the sources disagree, or the source itself calls the evidence weak.

Wordings to avoid

What to leave out.

Claims Facts

Ingredient: Inulin

Wording to avoid	Reason
“Relieves or treats constipation, without ‘occasional’”FDA’s 2000 rule clears only the ‘occasional constipation’ form.	Treatment
“Relieves IBS”Names a disease.	Disease
“Lowers blood sugar in diabetes”Names a disease; no listed source supports it.	Disease

Disease: names or implies a disease. Drug: names a drug or presents the product as one. Treatment: promises to treat, cure or prevent a condition.

Sources

Where this comes from.

All ingredient guides

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