Know2eat

Jerusalem artichoke

Helianthus tuberosus

What jerusalem artichoke has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 2 with at least some human evidence behind them. Strongest first.

  • 1 Moderate
  • 1 Limited
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About jerusalem artichoke

The knobbly tuber of a North American sunflower, unrelated to the globe artichoke and not from Jerusalem. It stores carbohydrate as inulin rather than starch, which is the single most important thing about it.

Also known as Sunchoke, Sunroot, Topinambur, Earth apple

Gut & Digestive HealthBlood Sugar & Metabolic Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Moderate

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Gut microbiome

Gut & Digestive Health
Moderate evidence

Inulin-type fructans increase faecal bifidobacteria consistently across controlled human trials, and Jerusalem artichoke is one of the densest food sources. Most trials used purified inulin at defined doses; what those microbiome shifts mean for health remains an open question.

What may be going on: Inulin passes undigested into the colon, where bifidobacteria and other saccharolytic bacteria ferment it preferentially and produce short-chain fatty acids.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Blood glucose response

Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health
Limited evidence

Because inulin is not digested, Jerusalem artichoke produces very little immediate glucose rise, and a few small trials of inulin supplementation report modest improvements in fasting glucose. The whole-food evidence is thin and the supplement trials are inconsistent.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Jerusalem artichoke

Ask about Jerusalem artichoke

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

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Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories73 kcal4%
Protein2 g4%
Total fat0.01 g0%
Carbohydrate17.4 g6%
Fibre1.6 g6%
Total sugars9.6 g—
Water78 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0.0040 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.0010 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.0010 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A1 µg0%
Vitamin C4 mg4%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.19 mg1%
Vitamin K0.1 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.2 mg17%
Riboflavin (B2)0.06 mg5%
Niacin (B3)1.3 mg8%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.397 mg8%
Vitamin B60.077 mg5%
Folate13 µg3%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline30 mg5%
Minerals
Calcium14 mg1%
Iron3.4 mg19%
Magnesium17 mg4%
Phosphorus78 mg6%
Potassium429 mg9%
Sodium4 mg0%
Zinc0.12 mg1%
Copper0.14 mg16%
Manganese0.06 mg3%
Selenium0.7 µg1%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene12 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash2.54 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Jerusalem-artichokes, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169236).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • cookedReduces inulin chain length

    Prolonged cooking, and particularly long slow roasting, partially hydrolyses inulin into shorter fructans and free fructose. That makes the tuber sweeter and somewhat less gas-forming, while raising its available sugar.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Too much

    Flatulence is the defining problem with this vegetable

    The inulin in Jerusalem artichokes reaches the colon intact and is fermented rapidly. The resulting wind is severe enough that the vegetable has been carrying nicknames about it since the seventeenth century. Small portions, gradual introduction and thorough cooking all reduce it, but nothing eliminates it.

  • Worth knowing

    Not suitable during a low-FODMAP elimination phase

    Jerusalem artichoke is among the most fructan-dense foods measured and is excluded outright from the elimination phase of a low-FODMAP diet for irritable bowel syndrome.

  • Allergy

    Daisy-family sensitisation

    The plant is a sunflower relative. Contact reactions in handlers are reported, and people strongly sensitised to the Asteraceae family occasionally react to eating it.