Wheat Dextrin

Q: Does wheat dextrin help with weight loss?

In 120 overweight Chinese men, 17 g twice daily for 12 weeks led to 1.5 kg more weight loss than control; a UK trial at 14 g a day found no change in energy intake or body measures. Both were tied to its maker.

Q: Does it relieve constipation?

A review of controlled studies found that readily fermented, non-gelling fibres like wheat dextrin have no laxative effect; gel-forming psyllium does.

Q: Does it block calcium or magnesium?

No. 15 g a day for 2 weeks did not change calcium or magnesium absorption in 40 women.

Q: Does it lower blood sugar?

Pooled trials show small effects: a 2026 meta-analysis of 13 trials (952 people) found fasting glucose fell 0.15 mmol/L, and a 2025 meta-analysis of 4 trials in type 2 diabetes found HbA1c fell 0.30 points. A study in 10 children with type 1 diabetes found no overall change.

Q: Does wheat dextrin interact with medicines?

We found no published drug interactions: NCCIH, ODS, LiverTox and LactMed have no wheat dextrin entry. NCCIH advises telling your health care providers about every supplement you use, especially before surgery.

Q: What is wheat dextrin?

A soluble fibre that dissolves without thickening; NUTRIOSE FB06, used in several trials, is a wheat dextrin.

Q: Is it well tolerated?

Yes in trials: 30 to 45 g a day for 4 to 5 weeks caused hardly more digestive complaints than placebo and no diarrhoea.

Also called Benefiber, resistant dextrin, NUTRIOSE, soluble wheat fiber, wheat dextrin fiber.

Best grade C across 10 graded outcomes Other Last checked Oct 21, 2026

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The short answer

From 16 sources

Wheat dextrin is a soluble fibre that dissolves without thickening. In trials of a resistant dextrin (NUTRIOSE), mostly tied to its maker, 34 g a day cut hunger, weight and insulin resistance in overweight Chinese men. It did not reduce calcium or magnesium absorption. A review notes that readily fermented fibres like it have no laxative effect.

Quick pick

From a partner brand · paid link

Benefiber Prebiotic Fiber Powder, 8.7 Oz

from HerbsPro

Label: Label: 3 g soluble fibre per serving from wheat dextrin (the only ingredient).

Best for trying one bottle: $19.90 one-time (checked Oct 15, 2026).

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Every graded outcome on this page

10 rows · line = participants

Grade CFasting glucose and insulin resistance (pooled trials)Blood sugarn 952
Grade CHbA1c and fasting glucose in type 2 diabetes (pooled trials)Blood sugarn 260
Grade CBody weight, energy intake and hunger in overweight menWeightn 120
Grade CInsulin resistance and blood lipids in overweight menBlood sugarn 120
Grade CSatiety and hunger at different dosesAppetiten 100
Grade C24-hour blood sugar in adults at riskBlood sugarn 78
Grade CInsulin resistance and inflammation in type 2 diabetesBlood sugarn 55
Grade DSatiety and blood sugar in healthy UK adultsAppetiten 36
Grade DBlood sugar swings in children with type 1 diabetesBlood sugarn 10
No effectCalcium and magnesium absorptionMineral absorptionn 40

Key facts

What it is: A soluble, non-viscous fibre; NUTRIOSE FB06, the resistant dextrin in several trials, is a wheat dextrin^12,13
Weight trial: 17 g twice daily for 12 weeks: 1.5 kg more weight loss than control in 120 overweight men³
Minerals: 15 g a day did not reduce calcium or magnesium absorption in 40 women²
Laxative effect: A review classes wheat dextrin as a non-viscous soluble fibre and finds readily fermented fibres have no laxative effect¹²
Tolerance: 30 or 45 g a day for 4 to 5 weeks was very well tolerated, with no diarrhoea⁶

What it is

Wheat dextrin is a soluble fibre made from wheat starch that dissolves in drinks without thickening them.

How it works

Proposed

Wheat dextrin is fermented by gut bacteria; in a lab colon model NUTRIOSE FB06 raised butyrate-producing bacteria and short-chain fatty acids. Because it is readily fermented and does not form a gel, it does not add bulk or water to stool.^13,12

Forms, side by side

2 forms named in our sources. The rest show what our data holds, and say plainly where it holds nothing yet.

Wheat Dextrin forms compared

2 forms

Wheat Dextrin forms compared: 2 forms by 3 attributes. Empty cells are labelled No data yet, or Not graded in the evidence row.
2 forms	Powder (Benefiber-type)	Resistant dextrin (NUTRIOSE)
Absorption in people	Fermented in the colon rather than absorbed; it does not form a gel.^12,13	Fermented in the colon; faecal pH and enzyme activity changed at 30 to 45 g a day.⁶
GI tolerance	15 g a day for 2 weeks caused no loss of mineral absorption.²	30 or 45 g a day for 4 to 5 weeks caused hardly more digestive complaints than placebo and no diarrhoea; 50 g in a single day was no worse than placebo.^6,7
Studied for	Mineral absorption, blood sugar in children with type 1 diabetes	Satiety, weight, insulin resistance and blood sugar

Wheat dextrin powder (Benefiber-type)
Absorption in people
Fermented in the colon rather than absorbed; it does not form a gel.^12,13
GI tolerance
15 g a day for 2 weeks caused no loss of mineral absorption.²
Studied for
Mineral absorption, blood sugar in children with type 1 diabetes
Resistant dextrin (NUTRIOSE)
Absorption in people
Fermented in the colon; faecal pH and enzyme activity changed at 30 to 45 g a day.⁶
GI tolerance
30 or 45 g a day for 4 to 5 weeks caused hardly more digestive complaints than placebo and no diarrhoea; 50 g in a single day was no worse than placebo.^6,7
Studied for
Satiety, weight, insulin resistance and blood sugar

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

Trial map

10 graded outcomes, largest study first

10 graded outcomes: 7 improved, 1 mixed, 2 no effect. The largest, a 2026 meta-analysis of 952 people on fasting glucose and insulin resistance (pooled trials), found an improvement.

By sizeTable

1Fasting glucose and insulin resistance (pooled trials)

Improved · Grade C · Meta-analysis, 952 people, 2026

Adults in 13 RCTs of resistant dextrin, with and without overweight or diabetes

Dose, result and source

Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
Outcome	Found	People	Study	Who was studied
Fasting glucose and insulin resistance (pooled trials)	Improved	952	Grade C · Meta-analysis, 2026	Adults in 13 RCTs of resistant dextrin, with and without overweight or diabetes
HbA1c and fasting glucose in type 2 diabetes (pooled trials)	Improved	260	Grade C · Meta-analysis, 2025	Adults with type 2 diabetes in 4 RCTs
Body weight, energy intake and hunger in overweight men	Improved	120	Grade C · RCT, 2011	Overweight Chinese men (60 dextrin, 60 maltodextrin control)
Insulin resistance and blood lipids in overweight men	Improved	120	Grade C · RCT, 2010	Overweight Chinese men (60 dextrin, 60 maltodextrin placebo)
Satiety and hunger at different doses	Improved	100	Grade C · RCT, 2011	100 overweight healthy adults in China (20 per group)
24-hour blood sugar in adults at risk	Improved	78	Grade C · RCT, 2025	78 healthy adults in Singapore, overweight or at genetic risk
Insulin resistance and inflammation in type 2 diabetes	Improved	55	Grade C · RCT, 2015	55 Iranian women with type 2 diabetes (30 dextrin, 25 maltodextrin)
Calcium and magnesium absorption	No effect	40	No-effect grade · Crossover RCT, 2011	40 premenopausal and postmenopausal women
Satiety and blood sugar in healthy UK adults	Mixed	36	Grade D · Crossover RCT, 2021	36 adults (20 normal weight, 16 overweight) in the UK
Blood sugar swings in children with type 1 diabetes	No effect	10	Grade D · Open-label trial, 2014	10 children with type 1 diabetes

Every graded row

10 rows

Form tested

Showing 10 of 10 outcomes. Human trials only.

Grade CFasting glucose and insulin resistance (pooled trials)Blood sugarImprovedMeta-analysis
n 952 · 2026

Improved Fasting glucose fell 0.15 mmol/L (P = 0.049; 13 trials, 952 people) and HOMA-IR 0.51 (7 trials, 332 people); HbA1c (-0.18%, P = 0.07) and fasting insulin did not change significantly. Benefits were larger in people with overweight, obesity or diabetes.

Design: Meta-analysis, n = 952, 2026
Population: Adults in 13 RCTs of resistant dextrin, with and without overweight or diabetes
Form: Resistant dextrin (sources not specified in the abstract)
Dose: Varied; 10 g a day was the most common effective dose
Duration: Varied across trials
Source: Reference 14 · PubMed 41787416 (opens PubMed)

Grade CHbA1c and fasting glucose in type 2 diabetes (pooled trials)Blood sugarImprovedMeta-analysis
n 260 · 2025

Improved HbA1c fell 0.30 percentage points versus control (I2 0%); fasting glucose and fasting insulin did not change significantly.

Design: Meta-analysis, n = 260, 2025
Population: Adults with type 2 diabetes in 4 RCTs
Form: Resistant dextrin
Dose: Varied across trials
Duration: Varied across trials
Source: Reference 15 · PubMed 40346635 (opens PubMed)

Grade CBody weight, energy intake and hunger in overweight menWeight-1.5 kg vs controlRCT
n 120 · 2011

Improved Body weight fell 1.5 kg, BMI 0.5 kg/m(2) and body fat 0.3% more than control (P < 0.001); daily energy intake was 3,079 kJ lower and hunger less (P < 0.01).

Design: RCT, n = 120, 2011
Population: Overweight Chinese men (60 dextrin, 60 maltodextrin control)
Form: NUTRIOSE resistant dextrin in fruit juice
Dose: 17 g twice daily
Duration: 12 weeks
Source: Reference 3 · PubMed 21591985 (opens PubMed)

Grade CInsulin resistance and blood lipids in overweight menBlood sugarBetter insulin and lipidsRCT
n 120 · 2010

Improved Glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, HbA1c and glycated albumin fell and adiponectin rose; total, LDL and VLDL cholesterol and triglycerides fell and HDL rose (all p < 0.01); systolic blood pressure did not change.

Design: RCT, n = 120, 2010
Population: Overweight Chinese men (60 dextrin, 60 maltodextrin placebo)
Form: NUTRIOSE resistant dextrin in fruit juice
Dose: 17 g twice daily
Duration: 12 weeks
Source: Reference 4 · PubMed 21164548 (opens PubMed)

Grade CSatiety and hunger at different dosesAppetiteMore fullness, dose-relatedRCT
n 100 · 2011

Improved Short-term satiety rose with dose and time; hunger fell from day 5 at 24 g and from day 7 at 14 and 18 g a day.

Design: RCT, n = 100, 2011
Population: 100 overweight healthy adults in China (20 per group)
Form: NUTRIOSE in orange juice vs placebo
Dose: 8, 14, 18 or 24 g a day
Duration: 21 days
Source: Reference 5 · PubMed 22024490 (opens PubMed)

Grade C24-hour blood sugar in adults at riskBlood sugarBetter 24-hour glucoseRCT
n 78 · 2025

Improved 24-hour glucose control under free-living conditions improved, most after dinner; appetite fell mainly in the genetic-risk group.

Design: RCT, n = 78, 2025
Population: 78 healthy adults in Singapore, overweight or at genetic risk
Form: NUTRIOSE soluble fibre
Dose: 40 g a day
Duration: 8 weeks
Source: Reference 10 · PubMed 40167751 (opens PubMed)

Grade CInsulin resistance and inflammation in type 2 diabetesBlood sugarInsulin down; glucose unchangedRCT
n 55 · 2015

Improved Fasting insulin fell 20.1 pmol/l (22.8 %) and HOMA-IR 1.3 (24.9 %), with lower IL-6, TNF-α, MDA and endotoxin than maltodextrin (P< 0.05); fasting glucose, HbA1c and hs-CRP changes were not significant.

Design: RCT, n = 55, 2015
Population: 55 Iranian women with type 2 diabetes (30 dextrin, 25 maltodextrin)
Form: Resistant dextrin
Dose: 10 g a day
Duration: 8 weeks
Source: Reference 8 · PubMed 27028002 (opens PubMed)

Grade DSatiety and blood sugar in healthy UK adultsAppetiteMixed satiety; no intake changeCrossover RCT
n 36 · 2021

Mixed Fasting satiety was higher at day 14 (P = 0.006) and day 28 (P = 0.040), but satiety after lunch and dinner was lower (P < 0.01); the glucose rise after the drink was smaller (P < 0.01); energy intake and body measures did not change.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 36, 2021
Population: 36 adults (20 normal weight, 16 overweight) in the UK
Form: NUTRIOSE FB06 resistant dextrin
Dose: 14 g a day in two drinks
Duration: 28 days per arm
Source: Reference 9 · PubMed 34170392 (opens PubMed)

Grade DBlood sugar swings in children with type 1 diabetesBlood sugarNo overall changeOpen-label trial
n 10 · 2014

No effect No difference in mean blood glucose excursion after meals or in hypoglycaemia between phases; more added fibre correlated with lower post-meal peaks (-0.86 lunch, -0.76 breakfast).

Design: Open-label trial, n = 10, 2014
Population: 10 children with type 1 diabetes
Form: Wheat dextrin powder added to the usual meal plan
Dose: Amount varied by child
Duration: Two study phases
Source: Reference 11 · PubMed 25024710 (opens PubMed)

No effectCalcium and magnesium absorptionMineral absorptionNo loss of calcium or magnesiumCrossover RCT
n 40 · 2011

No effect Calcium absorption (0.81 vs 0.82) and magnesium absorption (7.8% vs 7.9%) were the same on wheat dextrin and placebo.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 40, 2011
Population: 40 premenopausal and postmenopausal women
Form: Wheat dextrin vs placebo
Dose: 15 g a day
Duration: 2 weeks before each absorption test
Source: Reference 2 · PubMed 22117983 (opens PubMed)

What the numbers add up to

Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.

Not a laxative fibre

Readily fermented, non-gelling fibres such as wheat dextrin and inulin showed no laxative effect in well-controlled studies, unlike gel-forming psyllium; the review's lead author worked for Procter & Gamble, which sells psyllium products.¹²

One maker behind most trials

Roquette, which makes NUTRIOSE, employed authors of or funded the weight, satiety and glucose trials; the mineral and diabetes trials name no funder.^3,5,9,10

Studied doses

Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.

Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Doses studied in human trials

Doses studied in human trials ranged from 8 to 10 g a day (satiety; type 2 diabetes for 8 weeks) to 34 g a day (17 g twice daily) for 12 weeks; tolerance studies used up to 45 g a day.^5,8,3,6

Interactions and safety

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

Interactions

0 agents

None found in our sources.

Check with what you take

Kept on this device only

Add what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Wheat Dextrin and your picks, and between your picks.

Add a supplement or medicine

Most cited:

Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Wheat Dextrin.

Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.

Who should be careful

3 groups

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and children: NCCIH notes that many dietary supplements have not been tested in pregnant women, nursing mothers or children.¹
Coeliac disease or wheat allergy: Wheat dextrin is made from wheat starch. In a 24-week trial in 90 people with coeliac disease in remission, related wheat-based starch products (glucose syrups and maltodextrins) did not harm the gut lining, but wheat dextrin itself was not tested and no data cover wheat allergy.¹⁶
Medicines and surgery: NCCIH advises that supplements may interact with medications or pose risks before surgery, and to tell your health care providers about everything you use. We found no published drug interactions for wheat dextrin: NCCIH, ODS, LiverTox and LactMed have no wheat dextrin entry.¹

How to read the label

What to check on the Supplement Facts panel.

How to read the label

3 checks

Count the grams of fibre

Studies used 8 to 40 g of dextrin a day; compare the grams of fibre per serving on the label with these amounts.^5,3,10

Wheat source

Wheat dextrin is made from wheat. Pooled trial data on resistant dextrin do not always say which starch source was used.^13,14

Same fibre in the trials?

Many of the trials here tested the resistant dextrin NUTRIOSE, which a lab study describes as a wheat dextrin. Results from that product may not carry over to every dextrin powder.^13,3

Have the bottle? Photograph its Supplement Facts panel and see each line, wheat dextrin included, beside the doses and forms the trials used in Label X-Ray.

Where to buy Wheat Dextrin

Products from brands we partner with that contain Wheat Dextrin. Check the amount per serving against the doses studied above, and the label for other ingredients.

Wheat Dextrin products from partner brands

1 product Paid links · we earn a commission

Quick pickHerbsProBenefiber Prebiotic Fiber Powder, 8.7 Oz
Label: 3 g soluble fibre per serving from wheat dextrin (the only ingredient); most trials used 8 to 40 g a day
$19.90one-timeChecked Oct 15, 2026
Shop at HerbsPro (paid link, opens in new tab)

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.

Common questions

7 answers

Does wheat dextrin help with weight loss?

In 120 overweight Chinese men, 17 g twice daily for 12 weeks led to 1.5 kg more weight loss than control; a UK trial at 14 g a day found no change in energy intake or body measures. Both were tied to its maker.^3,9

Does it relieve constipation?

A review of controlled studies found that readily fermented, non-gelling fibres like wheat dextrin have no laxative effect; gel-forming psyllium does.¹²

Does it block calcium or magnesium?

No. 15 g a day for 2 weeks did not change calcium or magnesium absorption in 40 women.²

Does it lower blood sugar?

Pooled trials show small effects: a 2026 meta-analysis of 13 trials (952 people) found fasting glucose fell 0.15 mmol/L, and a 2025 meta-analysis of 4 trials in type 2 diabetes found HbA1c fell 0.30 points. A study in 10 children with type 1 diabetes found no overall change.^14,15,11

Does wheat dextrin interact with medicines?

We found no published drug interactions: NCCIH, ODS, LiverTox and LactMed have no wheat dextrin entry. NCCIH advises telling your health care providers about every supplement you use, especially before surgery.¹

What is wheat dextrin?

A soluble fibre that dissolves without thickening; NUTRIOSE FB06, used in several trials, is a wheat dextrin.^12,13

Is it well tolerated?

Yes in trials: 30 to 45 g a day for 4 to 5 weeks caused hardly more digestive complaints than placebo and no diarrhoea.^6,7

Sources

16 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.

Sources cited on this page

16 sources

1Using Dietary Supplements WiselyFact sheet National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), 2019 · nccih.nih.gov
2Chronic dietary fiber supplementation with wheat dextrin does not inhibit calcium and magnesium absorption in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.Crossover RCT J Int Med Res, 2011 · PMID 22117983
3Effects of NUTRIOSE® dietary fiber supplementation on body weight, body composition, energy intake, and hunger in overweight men.RCT Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2011 · PMID 21591985
4NUTRIOSE dietary fiber supplementation improves insulin resistance and determinants of metabolic syndrome in overweight men: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.RCT Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 2010 · PMID 21164548
5The soluble fiber NUTRIOSE induces a dose-dependent beneficial impact on satiety over time in humans.RCT Nutr Res, 2011 · PMID 22024490
6Long-term gastrointestinal tolerance of NUTRIOSE FB in healthy men.RCT Eur J Clin Nutr, 2006 · PMID 16482066
7Short-term digestive tolerance of high-dose of NUTRIOSE®FB10 in adult.Crossover RCT Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2011 · PMID 20849371
8Resistant dextrin, as a prebiotic, improves insulin resistance and inflammation in women with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled clinical trial.RCT Br J Nutr, 2015 · PMID 27028002
9Impact of dietary supplementation with resistant dextrin (NUTRIOSE(®)) on satiety, glycaemia, and related endpoints, in healthy adults.Crossover RCT Eur J Nutr, 2021 · PMID 34170392
10NUTRIOSE® soluble fibre supplementation as an effective dietary strategy to improve glycaemic response.RCT Eur J Nutr, 2025 · PMID 40167751
11Effects of fiber supplementation on glycemic excursions and incidence of hypoglycemia in children with type 1 diabetes.Open-label trial Int J Pediatr Endocrinol, 2014 · PMID 25024710
12Fermented Fiber Supplements Are No Better Than Placebo for a Laxative Effect.Review Dig Dis Sci, 2016 · PMID 27680987
13In vitro fermentation of NUTRIOSE(®) FB06, a wheat dextrin soluble fibre, in a continuous culture human colonic model system.Animal study PLoS One, 2013 · PMID 24204753
14Effects of resistant dextrin on glycemic traits: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Meta-analysis Nutr J, 2026 · PMID 41787416
15The effect of resistant dextrin on glucose regulation markers in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Meta-analysis BMC Nutr, 2025 · PMID 40346635
16Clinical trial: gluten microchallenge with wheat-based starch hydrolysates in coeliac disease patients - a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate safety.RCT Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2008 · PMID 18710436

What changed

Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.

Change log

2 entries

Dated changes to this page
Date	Change	Who and why
Oct 21, 2026evidence, who should be careful, label guide, FAQ, related	Added 2026 and 2025 meta-analyses of resistant dextrin and blood sugar (PMIDs 41787416, 40346635, both graded C). Added a coeliac and wheat allergy note based on a 24-week trial of wheat-based starch products (PMID 18710436). Interaction check: NCCIH, ODS, LiverTox, LactMed and DailyMed list no wheat dextrin interactions; said so on the page. Label guide expanded to 3 steps. Fact-checked against the sources; corrected: label guide notes now cite only sources that support them, and "most trials" on NUTRIOSE softened to "many" with one lab study describing it as a wheat dextrin.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z page audit
Oct 15, 2026all	Initial editorial evidence review. Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (title, year, journal; none retracted) and each cited abstract read; numbers taken from the abstracts (full text used only where noted for participant counts or funding). Funding: Roquette (maker of NUTRIOSE) funded the 2021 UK trial (full text) and the 2025 Singapore trial (Europe PMC) and employed the corresponding author of the 2011 weight and satiety trials; the review's lead author worked for Procter & Gamble; the other abstracts name no funder (disclosed as not stated). Several trials used NUTRIOSE resistant dextrin; the lab study cited identifies NUTRIOSE FB06 as a wheat dextrin, while other trial abstracts do not state the starch source. No wheat-dextrin page exists on our approved safety sources, so safety rows use only NCCIH's general supplement guidance. Where to buy: Benefiber Prebiotic Fiber Powder 8.7 oz (label checked 2026-10-15).	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page

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