PrebioticsDo prebiotics help you lose weight?
Updated 4 Nov 2026
Short answer
Only slightly, if at all. For weight, a 2024 review of inulin-type fructans found 0.97 kg less body weight across 36 trials with 1672 people, with low certainty. The effect was larger in trials of 6 weeks or more, and in people with overweight or obesity.[1] An older 2021 review of 12 trials with 535 people with overweight or obesity found no drop in weight, BMI or fat mass.[2]
Sources (2)
- The effects of inulin-type fructans on cardiovascular disease risk factors: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Talukdar JR, Cooper M, Lyutvyn L, Zeraatkar D, Ali R, Berbrier R, et al. Am J Clin Nutr, 2024. PMID 38309832
- The Effect of Prebiotic Products on Decreasing Adiposity Parameters in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta- Analysis. Qu H, Song L, Zhang Y, Gao ZY, Shi DZ Curr Med Chem, 2021. PMID 31886746
More about prebiotics
What are prebiotics?Do prebiotics change your gut bacteria?How long do prebiotics take to work?Which foods contain prebiotics?What are prebiotics used for?Is a synbiotic better than a prebiotic alone?For education; not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before you start, stop or change a supplement.