Putting Our Health First with Chicory Root Fibres

When it comes to our food and drink choices, consumers often take into consideration a myriad of factors, from price to health benefits, convenience to taste.

But figures from Mintel showed that when it comes to defining the value of food and drink products, consumers rank health benefits and natural ingredients higher than a lower price[1] – an interesting finding given the rampant cost-of-living crisis faced globally. Also, according to a new global consumer survey by One Inch Whale on behalf of BENEO, one in four consumers can be categorised as putting health first when buying food and drink products.[2] This consumer group is even larger in Indonesia, with almost half of the population (45%) prioritising health— the highest share among countries surveyed around the world.[3]

One key area that food and drink manufacturers can address in their product development is digestive health – particularly, as consumers recognise its impact on various other health areas. Globally, a large proportion of consumers understands that digestive health influences physical wellbeing (79%) and the immune system (75%).[4]

Supporting Health with the Help of Prebiotics

In order to boost our overall health, we must support the good bacteria in our bodies that provide benefits to the human organism. In fact, more than half of consumers (57%) in Asia Pacific are very or extremely interested in the gut microbiome.[5] To support a healthy gut, manufacturers and consumers can look towards prebiotics. According to the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) a prebiotic is “a substrate that is selectively utilised by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.”[6] Prebiotics help the good bacteria which are already naturally present in the body to grow. As a matter of fact, 70% of consumers in Thailand that were surveyed associated prebiotics with being healthy – the highest score compared to other countries in the survey.[7]

There are only very few prebiotics which are scientifically and clinically proven to be classified as such. BENEO’s chicory root fibres, Orafti® Inulin and Oligofructose, belong to this exclusive group of proven prebiotics, complying with the ISAPP definition. In fact, a recently published systematic literature review with meta-analyses explored the effects of inulin-type fructans derived from chicory root, based on 50 human intervention studies. The findings revealed that chicory root fibre intake (starting at 3g/day) promotes significant growth of beneficial Bifidobacteria in the gut microbiome in all age groups and improves bowel function parameters.[8] Other benefits provided by chicory root fibres relate to blood sugar management[9], immune health[10], weight management[11],[12], and calcium absorption for bone health[13],[14].