Resistant starch: what is it really? If starchy foods, such as potatoes, rice or legumes cool, the chemical structure of some of their starches changes. Long-chain carbohydrates thicken and deform so that the body practically cannot digest them. Experts talk about resistant starch and classify it as fiber. It takes approximately twelve hours for the starch to transform.
Current studies are taking a closer look at the health effects of resistant starch – important findings here.
1. Very high amounts affect weight
In an experiment that will be published in the magazine in 2024 Nature’s Metabolism appeared, an international team investigated the effects of resistant starch on weight loss. The researchers – from the universities of Hong Kong and the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena – gave 37 participants a dietary supplement containing 40 grams of resistant starch every day for eight weeks and then again for another eight weeks.
What happened? In the resistant starch diet phase, test subjects lost an average of 2.8 pounds of body weight. The study has some weaknesses, for example, the number of test subjects was only small. Additionally, 40 grams of resistant starch daily can cause long-term intestinal problems.
Conclusion: What worked in the experiment will likely be difficult in everyday life. You can’t expect miracles to lose weight with conventional foods with resistant starch: a medium-sized potato or 100 grams of peeled rice only contains a good 3 grams on average.
2. Effective against fatty liver disease
Scientists from China, Germany and Finland discovered in a study published in the journal in 2023 Cellular Metabolism discovered that resistant starch could promote the cure of fatty liver disease. To do this, they prescribed a balanced diet for four months to 200 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Half also drank a drink containing 20 grams of resistant starch every day, while the other half received a placebo.
Result: in the end, the proportion of fat in the liver was reduced by almost 50% in those who consumed resistant starch – in the other group, by just 10%.
Conclusion: Resistant starch appears to be able to counteract fatty liver disease. The disease develops when the liver needs to store more fat than it can release. It’s worth working on your diet. Our book provides more information Take this, fatty liver.
3. May Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes
For decades, experts have observed that resistant starch can have a regulating effect on blood sugar levels. Ensures that insulin is released slowly after meals. In 2023, a review study carried out by researchers at Imperial College London confirmed this in the specialist journal Frontiers in Nutrition the positive consequences on blood sugar levels – regardless of the amount and type of resistant starch.
Conclusion: people with Type 2 diabetes and precursors of this disease You can benefit immediately if you regularly consume foods containing resistant starch.
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4. Strengthens the intestinal mucosa
All of the studies listed attribute the effects of resistant starch to processes in the intestine. As fiber, starch arrives well preserved in the large intestine, where intestinal bacteria break it down into short-chain fatty acids – including butyrate.
Conclusion: Resistant starch supports beneficial bacteria in the intestine, which counteracts inflammatory processes and strengthens the intestinal mucosa. What exactly happens is the subject of several ongoing studies.
Tips and tricks on how to absorb resistant starch
The Society for Nutritional Therapy and Prevention estimates that a person in Europe consumes an average of 8.5 grams of resistant starch per capita every day. Resistant starch can be counted towards the 30 grams of fiber that German Nutrition Society recommends it to everyone every day. This is how it can be registered:
- Banana, grains, bread. In addition to potatoes, rice, legumes and pasta, resistant starch is also found in green bananas, ground grains and bread. Whole grain variants also contain vitamins and minerals. About 10% of the starch in these foods turns into resistant starch.
- French fries etc.. Once resistant starch forms in food, heat can no longer destroy it. So there’s absolutely nothing wrong with using cooked potatoes to make fries or using day-old pasta to make casseroles.
- Freezing and thawing. This can even increase its proportion in the bread.