... and aid the breakdown of fat!Researchers reporting in last month's 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 starch's 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, it's 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.)
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
