Health for life

... and aid the breakdown of fat!

Researchers reporting in last months issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that supplementing 30 grams/day of resistant starch to their volunteers diets resulted in a 33% increase in insulin sensitivity. As a result, subjects could clear glucose from their bloodstreams faster than those who did not receive the resistant starch.

A study last year in Nutrition and Metabolism found that replacing 5.4% of the carbohydrate in a meal* increased fat-oxidation (the breakdown of fat) and could decrease fat accumulation over time. The implications for resistant starchs use in weight management are encouraging.

* For example, if your meal contained 100 grams of carbohydrate, 5.4 grams would be replaced with resistant starch.

What is resistant starch (RS)?
Simply, its starch we eat that is not digested in the small intestine. It passes to the large intestine where it undergoes fermentation by bacteria. The HealthyEatingClub.com lists these foods as containing resistant starch:

• Intact wholegrain cereals/seeds/nuts, e.g. oats, rye, wheat, barley, semolina, corn, linseed, sesame
  
• Processed starchy foods, e.g. some breakfast cereals (cornflakes), white bread, rice, pasta
  
• Processed starchy foods with added RS called Hi-Maize (derived from corn)
  
• Legumes, e.g. lentils, beans (Legumes have the highest content of RS.)
  
• Unripe fruit, especially banana
  
• Cooked cold rice, cold pasta salad, cold boiled potato salad (Cooking and cooling food can increase RS content.)

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For some background on resistant starch:
Resistant Starch

For the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study:
Insulin-sensitizing effects of dietary resistant starch and effects on skeletal muscle and adipose tissue metabolism

For the Nutrition and Metabolism study:
Resistant starch consumption promotes lipid oxidation

The evidence continues to mount on the benefits of resistant starch and soluble fiber (beta-glucan).

In a study published in the May issue of Diabetes Care, researchers saw:

Reductions in after-meal glucose:

• From resistant starch - 24%
  
• From soluble fiber - 17%
  
• From a combination of resistant starch and soluble fiber - 33%

Reductions in after-meal insulin:

• From resistant starch - 38%
  
• From soluble fiber - 33%
  
• From a combination of resistant starch and soluble fiber - 59%

Our previous post on resistant starch includes a description and food sources.

Beta-glucan, the type of soluble fiber tested in this study, is found naturally in foods such as oats, barley, dried beans and peas, mushrooms, flax seed, psyllium seed husks, and bakers yeast.

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For the study:
Consumption of Both Resistant Starch and ß-Glucan Improves Postprandial Plasma Glucose and Insulin in Women