Elsevier

Advances in Nutrition

Volume 6, Issue 2, March 2015, Pages 198-205
Advances in Nutrition

Role of Resistant Starch in Improving Gut Health, Adiposity, and Insulin Resistance

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Abstract

The realization that low–glycemic index diets were formulated using resistant starch led to more than a decade of research on the health effects of resistant starch. Determination of the metabolizable energy of the resistant starch product allowed for the performance of isocaloric studies. Fermentation of resistant starch in rodent studies results in what appears to be a healthier gut, demonstrated by increased amounts of short-chain fatty acids, an apparent positive change in the microbiota, and increased gene expression for gene products involved in normal healthy proliferation and apoptosis of potential cancer cells. Additionally, consumption of resistant starch was associated with reduced abdominal fat and improved insulin sensitivity. Increased serum glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) likely plays a role in promoting these health benefits. One rodent study that did not use isocaloric diets demonstrated that the use of resistant starch at 8% of the weight of the diet reduced body fat. This appears to be approximately equivalent to the human fiber requirement. In human subjects, insulin sensitivity is increased with the feeding of resistant starch. However, only 1 of several studies reports an increase in serum GLP-1 associated with resistant starch added to the diet. This means that other mechanisms, such as increased intestinal gluconeogenesis or increased adiponectin, may be involved in the promotion of improved insulin sensitivity. Future research may confirm that there will be improved health if human individuals consume the requirement for dietary fiber and a large amount of the fiber is fermentable.

functional foods
intestinal health
nurtigenomics
obesity
resistant starch

Abbreviations

GLP-1
glucagon-like peptide 1
HAMRS2
high-amylose maize resistant starch type 2
PYY
peptide YY
RS
resistant starch
WG
whole grain
ZDF
Zucker diabetic fatty

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This article is a summary of the symposium “Dietary Whole Grain–Microbiota Interactions: Insights into Mechanisms for Human Health” held 28 April 2014 at the ASN Scientific Sessions and Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology 2014 in San Diego, CA. The symposium was sponsored by the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and an educational grant from Ingredion.

A summary of the symposium “Dietary Whole Grain–Microbiota Interactions: Insights into Mechanisms for Human Health” was published in the September 2014 issue of Advances in Nutrition.

Supported by Ingredion, the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases grant R21 DK-073403-01A1. HAD was supported by NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant 1 U54 GM104940, which funds the Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center.

Author disclosures: C Pelkman is an employee of Ingredion, and MJ Keenan, J Zhou, M Hegsted, HA Durham, DB Coulon, and RJ Martin received funding from Ingredion.