What is resistant starch?

Resistant starch is simply starch that our bodies cannot digest; because we can’t digest it, it passes through to our gut where it feeds the good bacteria that live there. If you’d like to learn more about resistant starch and the foods where it can be found, check out our other posts on it! 

What are the benefits of resistant starch?

Scientists have spent quite a bit of time investigating the potential benefits of resistant starch and you’ll be as amazed as they are at what they’ve found out.

Blood sugar

It’s really important to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Diseases linked to high blood sugar are at epidemic levels. In fact, around 422 million people worldwide are thought to have diabetes and worse yet the disease is linked to around 1.6 million lives lost yearly according to the world health organization’s latest statistics [1].

Resistant starch has been shown to improve blood sugar levels and control in people who are overweight [2], [3].

Scientists investigating the link between resistant starch, diabetes and blood sugar have identified several mechanisms by which resistant starch provides these benefits:

• Firstly, as resistant starch is a dietary fiber, it lowers the rate at which our bodies absorb and digest carbs [4].
• Secondly, resistant starch stimulates the activation of certain genes which cause our body to increase storage of carbs in our liver and muscles [5].
• Thirdly, resistant starch increases the sensitivity of our cells to insulin, meaning they are able to better uptake and utilize the sugar in our blood. Insulin sensitivity is really important, because insulin resistance is not only linked to high blood sugar, but also type 2 diabetes and heart disease [6].

Digestive health

Resistant starch is also great for your digestive health. One reason for this is that it acts as a prebiotic. Prebiotics help to nourish our beneficial gut bacteria. By increasing the number of healthy bacteria in our large intestine, resistant starch can improve immune function, decrease the amount of bad bacteria in our guts, and promote energy production [7],[8],[9].

The fermentation of resistant starch by the friendly bacteria in our gut also increases the concentration of butyrate in the small intestine. Butyrate lowers your risk of large bowel disease, protects the gut lining and lowers inflammation [7], [10].

Heart Health and Weight management

Another surprising benefit of resistant starch is its positive impact on our heart health. Researchers found that resistant starch not only lowered abnormal fat levels in the blood, but also has the potential to reduce the risk factors associated with the hardening of blood vessels in those who are overweight [11], [2].

Beyond this resistant starch may also be able to help you control your appetite. A small study of healthy adults found that eating resistant starch over a 24-hour period lowered the amount of food eaten by the participants [12].

Find out more

These are just three of the many benefits of resistant starch. If you’d like to read about even more benefits of resistant starch then check out this article on the subject.

[1] “Diabetes.” https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes (accessed Jun. 09, 2021).

[2] O. J. Park, N. E. Kang, M. J. Chang, and W. K. Kim, “Resistant starch supplementation influences blood lipid concentrations and glucose control in overweight subjects,” J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol. , vol. 50, no. 2, Apr. 2004, Accessed: Jun. 09, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15242012/.

[3] M. P. Maziarz, S. Preisendanz, S. Juma, V. Imrhan, C. Prasad, and P. Vijayagopal, “Resistant starch lowers postprandial glucose and leptin in overweight adults consuming a moderate-to-high-fat diet: a randomized-controlled trial,” Nutr. J., vol. 16, no. 1, Feb. 2017, doi: 10.1186/s12937-017-0235-8.

[4] C. M. Brites, M. J. Trigo, B. Carrapiço, M. Alviña, and R. J. Bessa, “Maize and resistant starch enriched breads reduce postprandial glycemic responses in rats,” Nutr. Res., vol. 31, no. 4, Apr. 2011, doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2011.02.001.

[5] Z. Zhou, F. Wang, X. Ren, Y. Wang, and C. Blanchard, “Resistant starch manipulated hyperglycemia/hyperlipidemia and related genes expression in diabetic rats,” Int. J. Biol. Macromol., vol. 75, Apr. 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2015.01.052.

[6] T. C. Rideout, S. V. Harding, A. Raslawsky, and C. B. Rempel, “Dietary Resistant Starch Supplementation Increases High-Density Lipoprotein Particle Number in Pigs Fed a Western Diet,” J. Diet. Suppl., vol. 14, no. 3, May 2017, doi: 10.1080/19390211.2016.1229371.

[7] A. R. Bird, M. A. Conlon, C. T. Christophersen, and D. L. Topping, “Resistant starch, large bowel fermentation and a broader perspective of prebiotics and probiotics,” Benef. Microbes, vol. 1, no. 4, Nov. 2010, doi: 10.3920/BM2010.0041.

[8] A. Ristic, “Melatonin in Inflammation, Autoimmune Diseases & Immunity,” Dec. 09, 2019. https://selfhacked.com/blog/melatonin-th1-th2-inflammation-autoimmune-diseases/ (accessed Jun. 09, 2021).

[9] I. Martínez, J. Kim, P. R. Duffy, V. L. Schlegel, and J. Walter, “Resistant starches types 2 and 4 have differential effects on the composition of the fecal microbiota in human subjects,” PLoS One, vol. 5, no. 11, Nov. 2010, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015046.

[10] A. Venkataraman, J. R. Sieber, A. W. Schmidt, C. Waldron, K. R. Theis, and T. M. Schmidt, “Variable responses of human microbiomes to dietary supplementation with resistant starch,” Microbiome, vol. 4, no. 1, Jun. 2016, doi: 10.1186/s40168-016-0178-x.

[11] S. N. Nichenametla, L. A. Weidauer, H. E. Wey, T. M. Beare, B. L. Specker, and M. Dey, “Resistant starch type 4-enriched diet lowered blood cholesterols and improved body composition in a double blind controlled cross-over intervention,” Mol. Nutr. Food Res., vol. 58, no. 6, Jun. 2014, doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201300829.[12] C. L. Bodinham, G. S. Frost, and Robertson, “Acute ingestion of resistant starch reduces food intake in healthy adults,” Br. J. Nutr., vol. 103, no. 6, Mar. 2010, doi: 10.1017/S0007114509992534.

What is starch?

Starch is one of the three major types of carbohydrates. People typically eat starch in the form of bread, pasta, cereal, rice and vegetables. What all of these foods have in common is that they’re derived from plants, that’s because most plants store and use starch as their main source of energy. When you eat starchy foods, your bodies digest the starch, breaking it down into glucose which is then used as a source of energy.

Resistant starch is better than your average starch.

So what is a resistant starch? Resistant starches are named so because they’re actually ‘resistant’ to digestion in your small intestine, which lets them pass through to your large intestine where they are instead broken down and used by your healthy gut bacteria. It’s this altered digestion from which the benefits of resistant starch stem [1], [2], [3].

Firstly as they aren’t being digested by your own body, these starches don’t increase blood sugar like normal starch does. Secondly, the healthy bacteria fed by this undigested starch produce butyrate and vitamin K2, which help to support your immune system and reduce inflammation amongst a range of other benefits [4], [5], [6], [7].

Other benefits of resistant starch include:

• Supporting heart health [8].
• Keeping your kidneys healthy [9].
• Weight management and appetite [10].

There are several different forms of resistant starch depending on its source. These different forms have slightly different effects on your body [11].

Side box: You can also use resistant starch as a substitute for flour in these delicious recipes! Link ebook.

Did you know? There are two main sources most resistant starch supplements get their starch from. Raw potato starch which comes from exactly where it’s named and Hi-Maize which again is sourced from its namesake corn, but is also processed with heat and moisture to increase it’s resistant starch content.

Joe wanted to bring a resistant starch to the market that worked for both him and you. 

That’s why ours is better than your average resistant starch. Some resistant starch recipes contain harmful plant based inflammatory agents called lectins, and unfortunately for some people who are sensitive to these, they can experience a whole load of unpleasant symptoms from inflammation to brain fog.

Side link: Shop GetJo’s specially formulated resistant starch

Joe was one of these unlucky people. He was sick of trying different resistant starch supplements which caused as many negatives as they did benefits, which is why he set out to find a resistant starch supplement that was right for him, and that’s what led him to create GetJo and develop his specially formulated resistant starch, because Joe believes everyone should have access to supplements without drawbacks.

What Joe came up with fits this M.O. perfectly. Not only does this starch provide you with all of the benefits associated with this super supplement, but also thanks to it’s clean and simple ingredients list cuts out your risk of experiencing the drawbacks linked to other resistant starch mixes!

Joe’s resistant starch diet

One of the most neat things about this super supplement is that you don’t just have to take it as a pill or drink it with water, you can actually use it as part of lots of delicious recipes using Joe’s resistant starch diet plan. Better yet resistant starch is also compatible with most dietary requirements, in fact you can even make resistant starch keto friendly, as one scoop of GetJo resistant starch has just 42g of carbohydrate. 

Here are a couple of ideas of how you can get resistant starch into your diet by using it as a substitute for flour! 

Low-Lectin Roast Chicken (Serves 4-6) 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 lbs of chicken legs or thighs
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp each of dried thyme, sage, and rosemary
• ¼ cup of resistant starch

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Season the chicken with lemon juice, salt and pepper, thyme, sage, and rosemary.
3. Coat all pieces of chicken in resistant starch and drizzle with olive oil.
4. Place the chicken in the oven and roast at 400 degrees for around 40 minutes.

Brownie Cookies (Serves 8)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 8-12 minutes

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup of MCT oil or avocado oil
• 1 Tablespoon of grass-fed gelatin 
• ⅔ cup of resistant starch
• ¼ cup of cocoa powder
• ¼ cup of raw honey
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla powder 
• ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
• A pinch of finely ground sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F. 
2. Pour MCT or avocado oil into a mixing bowl. 
3. Sprinkle gelatin over oil, then whisk to combine. Add the honey and mix well. 
4. Add in the resistant starch, cocoa powder, vanilla powder, baking soda, and sea salt. 
5. If the dough is too runny, place it in the fridge for 10 minutes. 
6. Form dough into balls, and then flatten. 
7. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom. 
8. Let the cookies fully cool before moving. 
9. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

The takeaway?

Unlike typical starch, resistant starch comes with a whole host of health benefits. Unfortunately like us, not all resistant starch supplements are created equal and some can actually cause some pretty mean side effects. If you want to benefit from resistant starch make sure to first do your research and pick the right one for you!

References

[1] H. N. Englyst, S. M. Kingman, and J. H. Cummings, “Classification and measurement of nutritionally important starch fractions,” Eur. J. Clin. Nutr., vol. 46 Suppl 2, Oct. 1992, Accessed: May 18, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1330528/.

[2] R. T. Zijlstra, R. Jha, A. D. Woodward, J. Fouhse, and T. A. van Kempen, “Starch and fiber properties affect their kinetics of digestion and thereby digestive physiology in pigs,” J. Anim. Sci., vol. 90 Suppl 4, Dec. 2012, doi: 10.2527/jas.53718.

[3] P. Raigond, R. Ezekiel, and B. Raigond, “Resistant starch in food: a review,” J. Sci. Food Agric., vol. 95, no. 10, Aug. 2015, doi: 10.1002/jsfa.6966.

[4] A. Romano, A. Mackie, F. Farina, M. Aponte, F. Sarghini, and P. Masi, “Characterisation, in vitro digestibility and expected glycemic index of commercial starches as uncooked ingredients,” J. Food Sci. Technol., vol. 53, no. 12, Dec. 2016, doi: 10.1007/s13197-016-2375-9.

[5] R. K. Le Leu, Y. Hu, I. L. Brown, and G. P. Young, “Effect of high amylose maize starches on colonic fermentation and apoptotic response to DNA-damage in the colon of rats,” Nutr. Metab. , vol. 6, p. 11, 2009, Accessed: May 18, 2021. [Online].

[6] T. V. Maier et al., “Impact of Dietary Resistant Starch on the Human Gut Microbiome, Metaproteome, and Metabolome,” MBio, vol. 8, no. 5, 2017, doi: 10.1128/mBio.01343-17.

[7] M. Hasan Mohajeri et al., “The role of the microbiome for human health: from basic science to clinical applications,” Eur. J. Nutr., vol. 57, no. Suppl 1, p. 1, 2018, Accessed: May 18, 2021. [Online].

[8] S. N. Nichenametla, L. A. Weidauer, H. E. Wey, T. M. Beare, B. L. Specker, and M. Dey, “Resistant starch type 4-enriched diet lowered blood cholesterols and improved body composition in a double blind controlled cross-over intervention,” Mol. Nutr. Food Res., vol. 58, no. 6, Jun. 2014, doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201300829.

[9] T. L. Sirich, N. S. Plummer, C. D. Gardner, T. H. Hostetter, and T. W. Meyer, “Effect of Increasing Dietary Fiber on Plasma Levels of Colon-Derived Solutes in Hemodialysis Patients,” Clin. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., vol. 9, no. 9, p. 1603, Sep. 2014, Accessed: May 18, 2021. [Online].

[10] C. L. Gentile et al., “Resistant starch and protein intake enhances fat oxidation and feelings of fullness in lean and overweight/obese women,” Nutr. J., vol. 14, Oct. 2015, doi: 10.1186/s12937-015-0104-2. [11] D. F. Birt et al., “Resistant Starch: Promise for Improving Human Health,” Adv. Nutr., vol. 4, no. 6, p. 587, Nov. 2013, Accessed: May 18, 2021. [Online].