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Normally when we hear the word “starch,” bad things come to mind: carbohydrates, elevated blood sugar, insulin spikes and inevitable weight gain. But not all starch was created equally, or rather, not all starch is digested, absorbed and metabolized as glucose in our bodies.
Resistant starch (RS) is resistant to digestion and thus, travels in its entirety through the small intestine into the colon where it “feeds” beneficial colonic gut flora. These flora turn RS into short chain fatty acids through fermentation. Butyrate is one of the most essential short chain fatty acids, and RS appears to increase its production.
What’s so great about butyrate?
Well, it’s the preferred energy source of our colon’s cells and plays significant roles in decreasing inflammation, increasing metabolism, and improving stress resistance. So, yeah, it’s a very good thing.
Other Benefits of Consuming RS
Improves Insulin Sensitivity
Studies have shown that consuming RS improves insulin sensitivity, even in people with metabolic syndrome.
Reduces Leaky Gut
Consuming RS can also improve the integrity and total function of the gut. It does this by increasing colonic mucosal integrity and inhibiting endotoxins from getting into circulation.
Decreases the Blood Glucose Response to Food
One of the main reasons for the “low-carb” craze has been most people’s blood glucose response (it significantly increases) to even the slightest amounts of carbohydrates consumed. But resistant starch lowers this blood glucose spike.
Reduces Fasting Blood Sugar
Exciting research has shown that RS has the ability to reduce fasting blood sugars, one of the biggest benefits.
Expels “Bad” Bacteria
So far we’ve talked about the importance of feeding the good bacteria in your gut, but what is RS’ effect on bad bacteria? Preliminary studies have found that resistant starch may actually flush out bad bacterial overgrowth and eliminate it through feces. RS has also been found to be a highly effective treatment for cholera. It turns out cholera bacteria are drawn to the RS granules, attach themselves to it and are almost immediately discharged.
Helps the Body Absorb Magnesium
By improving the function of the gut, RS enhances dietary magnesium absorption as well.
Improved Thyroid Function
One of the biggest indicators of thyroid function is a noted increase in core body temperature. Many RS supplementers have experienced this increase in temperature.
Is Resistant Starch a Weight Loss Wonder Food?
That’s what some experts are calling RS. As we’ve mentioned, studies have already shown it improves thyroid function and decreases insulin spikes, two things that alone could contribute to weight loss. Other studies have found RS decreased appetite as well as the fat storage in fat cells.
More research has shown alterations in the gut’s microflora in association with obesity changed towards microflora seen in lean individuals. In other words, there are specific bacteria found in obese people that are not found in lean people and vice versa. When RS is consumed, the obese bacteria are converted into lean bacteria. Though further studies are needed to determine the exact mechanism of this alteration, it is certainly another indicator that RS has the potential to help individuals lose weight.
How do We Get Resistant Starch into Our Diet?
Certain foods, like raw potatoes, green bananas, plantains, cooked-and-cooled potatoes, cooked-and-cooled-rice, parboiled rice, and cooked-and-cooled legumes are very rich sources of RS.
Probably the best and easiest way to get RS is from supplementary isolated starch sources like raw potato starch, plantain flour, green banana flour, and cassava/tapioca starch. Many of these can be found in smaller health food stores, Asian markets and larger stores like Whole Foods.
Are There Any Side Effects?
If you read any of the Harry Potter books or saw any of the movies, you may remember there was a magical hat called “the sorting hat’ which, when worn, searched the wearer to determine the Hogwarts house he or she should belong to. Many of the young witches and wizards were greatly disappointed to be assigned to a house they didn’t want to go to. But this wasn’t the hat’s fault, it was simply going off of what was already inside a person.
The same can be said for resistant starch. It reacts to the condition of the gut it finds itself in.
For all of the glowing reviews RS has gotten from thousands of people, there are those who have reported gas, bloating, cramping, even diarrhea or constipation upon first taking RS. It seems that those individuals who already have fairly good gut function respond well to RS supplementation, while those with unhealthy guts respond poorly. If your gut is compromised and you experience any gas or bloating or other negative side effect, this is simply an indicator that your GI tract needs some major help. It’s not the resistant starch’s fault so don’t become frustrated with it.
If you are one of the unlucky souls with a compromised gut, what can you do?
For starters, it would most likely be beneficial to get some probiotics into you. Those are what you are trying to feed in the first place but there is a very good chance your good and bad bacteria ratio is way off due to healthy eating choices or various rounds of antibiotic treatments throughout the years. So, first thing is to colonize your gut with the good bacteria. A simple way to do this is to start eating fermented vegetables like sauerkraut or kimchi.
Once you’ve gotten some probiotics in your gut, start very slowly with resistant starch. For example, you may only be able to handle a small teaspoon of raw potato starch, and that’s fine. You can slowly ramp up to 20-30 grams.
You may also want to experiment to see what form of RS works better for you. For instance, some people may do well on the potato starch powder, while others may feel better eating half a green banana.
However you choose to consume RS, studies have shown the most benefits when getting 15 to 30 grams in daily. So, take it slow, work your way up, and see if you don’t notice a difference in the way you feel and look almost immediately.
And to help you deal with the harmful starch in your food, I’ve found a ‘Starch Blocker‘ that is backed by 12 clinical studies, along with a mountain of proof that it actually works — Heck, even the FDA couldn’t deny it’s effectiveness!
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