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6/8/16, 11:31 AMResistant Starch for a Healthy Gut · Experience Life

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Resistant Starch for a Healthy Gut

Heather Rogers · March 2016

Long underappreciated, resistant starch is a friendly carb component thatdelivers healthy microbial balance and weight-loss support.

We’ve all heard the warning: Beware of excess carbs. But we’ve also learned that not allcarbohydrates are created equal. And now we’re finding out there are certain carbs wemay not be getting enough of.

Just as we discern between “good fats” and “bad fats,” it’s important to remember thatcarbohydrates are a macronutrient, and many forms contain important health-promoting properties. Resistant starch — a little-known but powerful glucose chaincontained within certain carbohydrates — is a good example.

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It’s well accepted that simple carbs such as refined sugar spike glucose levels and canlead to insulin resistance, contributing to obesity and type 2 diabetes. Some healthexperts now argue that even complex carbs — particularly those found in grains — cancontribute to chronic systemic inflammation and conditions like irritable bowelsyndrome (IBS), colon cancer, and even dementia.

But that’s not the whole story, explains John Bagnulo, MPH, PhD, a nutritionist andeducator based in Yellow Springs, Ohio. “When people talk about carbs as the culprit forall these diseases, that’s an oversimplification. The truth is more nuanced.”

Most starches are formed by two types of glucose molecules: amylopectin and amylose.Amylo-pectin easily breaks down in the small intestine, releasing glucose into thebloodstream. Amylose, on the other hand, has a tighter molecular structure that’s harderto crack.

Resistant starch — found in foods such as beans, whole grains, rice, and potatoes — ishigh in amylose. It stays intact as it passes through the stomach and small intestine, anddoesn’t enter the bloodstream (hence the “resistant” part of its name).

“What we think is detrimental about easily digestible carbohydrates and simple sugars —that they drive up our glucose levels — doesn’t apply to resistant starch,” says JensWalter, University of Alberta associate professor and Campus Alberta InnovatesProgram chair of nutrition, microbes, and gastrointestinal-tract health. Research intothe nutritional benefits of resistant starch is relatively new, but results so far indicatethat this form of carbohydrate delivers all sorts of health benefits, including improvedgut health, weight control, and potentially even cancer protection.

Feed Your Microbes

Recent science has established that the health of our microbiome — especially theorganisms that live in our intestines — is directly tied to our broader well-being. Tobolster our gut ecosystems, many of us consume probiotics: living bacteria found in

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supplements or fermented edibles like yogurt and sauerkraut (for more on this, see“Probiotics at Work“).

Yet downing probiotics and -fermented foods is not enough to keep our guts healthy.

“Even if I give you the very best probiotics — and large amounts of them — thosebacteria live less than an hour, then they’re gone,” says Robynne Chutkan, MD, author ofThe Microbiome Solution.

We have to feed those bacteria so they can survive and thrive. That’s where prebioticscome in.

Prebiotics — including resistant starch and specific types of fiber — are indigestiblenutrients that ferment in the large intestine, providing nourishment for the gut’s healthybacteria. Unfortunately, the standard American diet, high in processed ingredients,doesn’t provide enough prebiotic foods.

“With the Western diet, the colon has become malnourished,” says Stephen O’Keefe,MD, professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

When intestinal bacteria don’t get enough prebiotic food, they start to feed off thecolon’s mucosal lining. Lacking appropriate nutrition, beneficial microorganisms growfrail and become unable to ferment prebiotics. This causes the colon to become morealkaline, which creates an environment for acid-sensitive bacteria — like strains of E.coli and salmonella, as well as other potent pathogens — to bloom.

The proliferation of harmful bacteria can set off a microbial imbalance, known asdysbiosis, and lead to problems such as leaky gut. This in turn can trigger autoimmunedisease and metabolic disorders. (For more on this, see “How to Heal a Leaky Gut“.)

Sluggish prebiotic fermentation also creates a self-reinforcing pattern that furtherrestricts the creation of food for our friendly microorganisms.

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Build Up Butyrate

While resistant starch behaves like fiber in many ways, it has distinct qualities, mostnotably its ability to rapidly churn out a colon-critical substance called butyrate.

Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid that is a vital nutrient for the colon — and theprimary energy source for the cells of the large intestines. “Where other organs aroundthe body use glucose, the colonic cells are unique in needing butyrate,” explains O’Keefe.

As the direct supply of nourishment to the cells along the intestinal lining, butyrate helpskeep this membrane strong. A healthy colon wall prevents leaky gut, IBS, constipation,ulcerative colitis, and diverticulitis (an inflammation or infection in the digestive tract).

Butyrate also inhibits inflammation-signaling molecules called cytokines. In doing so, itmediates the colon’s inflammatory response — a trigger that can weaken the intestinallining and set off a cycle of bodywide swelling that’s tough to tame.

Butyrate also appears to make the colon an inhospitable place for cancer. In the lab,butyrate has been shown to inhibit the growth of tumor-cell lines and has induced thedeath of colorectal cancer cells. It also seems to prevent angiogenesis — the forming ofnew blood vessels from existing ones, a fundamental step in the transition of tumorsfrom benign to malignant.

More research is needed, but as studies unveil more about the key role of resistant starchin supporting gut health — and by extension, overall health — consensus is growing onthe value of this carbohydrate.

One of the most potent results O’Keefe and his colleagues discovered is how quickly thegut microflora respond to resistant starch.

“This is very good news,” O’Keefe explains, “because it suggests you don’t have theexcuse ‘I’ve been eating junk food all my life so it’s too late to help my colon.’ It’s nevertoo late.”

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Get More Resistant Starch in Your Diet

People in developing nations, where whole-plant foods are more common and wherediseases like type 2 diabetes and colon cancer are rare, consume 30 to 40 grams ofresistant starch per day. In the United States and Europe, people typically eat about 3 to8 grams of resistant starch daily. So unless you already focus on eating foods high inresistant starch, it’s safe to assume you’re not getting enough.

While there is no recommended daily allowance — that research is under way — StephenO’Keefe, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, says doubling yourintake of resistant starch is a good place to start. If you have bloating, gas, anddiscomfort from the fermentation (a possible side effect of getting too much resistantstarch at once, especially if you suffer from a digestive disorder like IBS), scale yourportions back and increase them slowly over a few weeks.

Though resistant-starch supplements — such as raw potato starch — are available, realfoods are the healthiest sources. The whole foods shown here are rich in resistant starch(note that cooking sometimes affects the amount in food). Experiment with workingthem into your eating plan, and see if you notice an improvement in your digestivehealth.

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Heather Rogers is a journalist and author. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

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