Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Non-digestible oligosaccharides (NDOs) such as inulin and oligofructose increase calcium absorption in adolescents and postmenopausal women, but not necessarily in healthy adult men.
Consider consuming foods fortified with inulin or oligofructose (like some orange juices or breads) if you are an adolescent or postmenopausal woman, as they may help your body absorb more calcium from your diet.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Emerging evidence has shown that certain non-digestible oligosaccharides (NDOs) can improve Ca absorption in adolescents and adults... Van den Heuvel et al. (1999) reported that a 9-day consumption of lactulose (5 or 10 g/day) increased Ca absorption in postmenopausal women in a dose-responsive manner.
Why this rating
Evidence is emerging from specific studies, but the paper notes that the significance remains unclear and long-term benefits are not proven.
Source
Calcium intake, calcium bioavailability and bone health
Cashman K.D.* · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2002
DOI 10.1079/bjnbjn/2002534
narrative_reviewCited 263×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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