DID YOU KNOW?
Tapioca flour, which our breads, tortillas and crackers are made of is a resistant starch?
What is a Resistant Starch?
What comes to mind when you hear the word “starch”?
High in glucose, high in carbohydrates, elevated blood sugar, insulin spikes, glycogen repletion…But the truth is that not all starch is bad; one starch in particular called resistant starch has been gaining a lot of attention lately. Resistant Starches (RS) have been shown, through research, to be extremely beneficial to your overall health. They can especially be helpful for those with gut related problems. This may seem hard to believe given that many forms of starch are avoided on gut healing diets like GAPS. 3
Resistant starch is a type of starch that does not break down; it “resists” digestion, so instead of being absorbed as glucose in the small intestines like most starches, the resistant starch travels through the small intestine to the colon where it is fermented and turns into beneficial, energy boosting, inflammation squashing short-chain fatty acids by the intestinal bacteria. Resistant starches also serve as powerful prebiotics—food for intestinal bacteria or probiotics in the colon (probiotics work best with prebiotics for food).
What are some Benefits of Resistant Starches?
- Preferentially feeds “good” bacteria responsible for butyrate production. It even promotes greater butyrate production than other prebiotics. 4
- Improves insulin sensitivity, even in people with metabolic syndrome. 2
- Improves the integrity and function of the gut. Resistant starch basically increases colonic hypertrophy, making it more robust and improving its functionality. It also inhibits endotoxin from getting into circulation and reduces leaky gut, which could have positive ramifications on allergies and autoimmune conditions. 5
- Lowers the blood glucose response to food
- Reduces fasting blood sugar.
- Increases satiety and decreased subsequent food intake.
- May preferentially bind to and expel “bad” bacteria.
- Enhances magnesium absorption.
References:
1. https://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-resistant-starch/
2. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/3/559.full
3. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/the-five-most-common-gaps-diet-mistakes/
4. http://physrev.physiology.org/content/81/3/1031.full
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1550236