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People have used plants containing inulin to help relieve diabetes mellitus which is a condition of unbalanced insulin levels resulting in unhealthy blood sugar levels. Inulin reduces the body's need to produce its own insulin helping to normalize levels. Some plants which contain high concentrations include Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Wild Yam ( Dioscorea sp.), and Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus).
Inulin, because it is neither secreted nor reabsorbed in the kidney, was used in a historically important medical test of renal function, specifically a measure of glomerular filtration rate, now largely measured by the creatinine clearance test. The inulin clearance test was performed by injecting inulin, waiting for it to be distributed, and then measuring plasma and urine inulin concentrations.