As I have mentioned the term ‘resistant starch’ on numerous occasions, I thought I would dedicate this next entry solely to resistant starch. What is this ‘missing’ fibre we speak of? Why do we all need it in our diets? How will it benefit you if you do consume it? How much resistant starch should I be consuming? Where on earth do I find it in the food supply system? The questions could go on!
All these questions are quite common and may be circulating your head, so lets work through them one by one together.
1. What is this ‘missing fibre’ you speak of?
Resistant starch is the newly discovered fibre. When resistant starch is consumed, it travels through the small intestine (with out being digested) and into the gut where it provides a fuel for the healthy bacteria in your body that promote good digestive health.
2. Why do we all need it in our diets?
When resistant starch reaches the gut and is fermented by the healthy bacteria that are present, a number of beneficial digestive and metabolic affects take place. Resistant starch has a prebiotic affects, helps increase stool bulk, produces short chain fatty acids (of particular interest is butyrate, that has been shown to help with cancer prevention), and increases the bodies sensitivity to insulin (so you need less of it to remove the glucose from your blood- this is a good thing!).
3. How will it benefit me if I do consume it?
By imparting the above affects, the benefits you will see include: promoting a settled stomach through improved gut health, promoting regularity through the mild laxative effect, good intestinal health, and maintaining healthy blood sugars (thereby playing a role in the prevention of lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes).
4. How much resistant starch should I be consuming?
The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) have put forward a world first, believing that the research supporting the beneficial effects of resistant starch consumption is strong enough to advise Australians to aim for 20g per day. Currently consumption patterns are estimated to be around 3-9g a day, so there is certainly room to move when it comes to improving our intake!
5. Where do I find resistant starch in the food supply system?
Resistant starch is found quite readily in ‘cool carbs’; What this means is that if you cooked your potatoes, rice or pasta and then let them cool down, the resistant starch content goes up (which is of benefit to us all!). Resistant starch is also found in baked beans, lentils, and most recently, in the new grain BARLEYmax (TM) (we are proud to be a part of this one!). Another high source of resistant starch is maize (corn) based products. In Australia we had also innovatively produced Hi-Maize (TM) from a variety of maizes. This has allowed resistant starch to enter the food supply system and be quite readily available in products such as cereals, bakery products, and even sometimes dairy products.
You may like to check out this video that my fellow dietitian Dr Joanna McMillan presented on resistant starch and its benefits
As you can see, there are a number of benefits to your immediate and long term health that can come from consuming foods that are high in resistant starch. Are you meeting your daily suggested intake?
Rich in resistant starch
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5 Responses to Resistant starch – what is this missing fibre we speak of?
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Thank you for this article but could you possibly provide a bit more information about the research mentioned in the following sentence: “The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) have put forward a world first, believing that the research supporting the beneficial effects of resistant starch consumption is strong enough to advise Australians to aim for 20g per day.”. In my albeit short search on the NHMRC site I could only find the following from a 2005 document [1]:
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2.7.5 Resistant starch
Attention has focused on the possible benefits of those carbohydrates escaping digestion in the small intestine. Although animal data have not been supportive, ecological studies suggest otherwise. The short chain fatty acid hypothesis should hold as well for resistant starch as for fibre. Indeed, resistant starch in the diet produces the highest level of faecal butyrate. The way in which various forms of resistant starch behave with respect to fermentability in the colon is under active investigation. Strains of maize and wheat have been genetically selected or chemically modified to resist digestion and promise protective benefit
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It does not mention any amounts and with wording like “possible benefits” and “animal data have not been supportive” doesn’t seem to read as “strong enough” to support the advisement. It does however refer to ongoing research so perhaps it is the conclusion of that research that your article is referring to?
My second question: The Heart Foundation currently recommend that “Adults should aim for 25-30g of fibre daily” [2] so are you suggesting that the 20g mentioned above be in addition to, or as part of that recommended daily intake total?
[1] http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/cp106_0.pdf
[2] http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/food-labels/Pages/fibre.aspx
Hi Nick,
Thanks for your comment. There seems to be a slight misrepresentation of the sources quoted in the article and I apologize for the confusion.
The NHMRC recommends a resistant starch component in their fibre intake advice but does not specify the quantity.
The recommendation for Australians to consumer 20g of resistant starch is taken from the CSIRO recommendation as published in the BARLEYmax report which can be found on our website under the article “The BARLEYmax story” http://goodnesssuperfoods.com.au/2010/12/the-barleymax-story/ The pdf version of the full report is at the end of the article. If you go to page 6 you will find the recommendation of at least 20g of resistant starch.
Regarding your second question, the 20g of resistant starch recommended by CSIRO can be included in the overall 25-30g of fibre a day as recommended by the Heart Foundation.
Hope this helps and please get in touch with any other questions.
Thanks Martina for your reply, and thanks to whoever in your team let me know via Twitter. I appreciate that you’re taking the time to discuss your product in this open way.
I’m not completely clear what you mean by “There seems to be a slight misrepresentation of the sources”? So be clear, are you saying that the source is not the NHMRC and that in fact “The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) have [NOT] put forward a world first”. If that is the case I’d expect that you’re obligated to correct this article?
I did look into the PDF report and still wasn’t completely sure where the CSIRO “recommendation of at least 20g of resistant starch” comes from. The PDF cites an article “Baghurst PA, Baghurst KI, Record SJ. Dietary fibre, non-starch polysaccharides and resistant starch – a review. Food Aust;1996″ but I was unable to find that exact report. I did however find it mentioned in a more recent Govt site[1] and PDF[2] that was “Endorsed by the NHMRC on 9 September 2005″ (so there is an NHMRC connection) which included the following: “Resistant starch comes within the FSANZ definition but is only partially assessed using currently approved methods that account for only about 40% of RS.” which suggests that the research behind RS isn’t yet “strong enough to advise Australians to aim for 20g per day”.
Having said all that I’m not trying to suggest that there is no benefit from resistant starch, I just felt the claims on this page perhaps needed a bit more backing up since this is supposed to be one of the distinguishing features of the barley used in your product, i.e. it’s the “max” in BARLEYmax.
As far as that 20g being included within the recommend 25-30g per day; A minor point but again worth clarifying.
The main reason I feel it important that the benefits of resistant starch and recommended daily intake be made as clear as possible is as a result of discussions directed at Dr Joanna McMillan with regards to the relatively high levels of sugar in at least some of your products. I felt it important that the advice on this page not wholly focus on the benefits of resistant starch and have people mistakenly take a more-is-better approach unaware of the potential offset from a high sugar intake.
[1] http://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/dietary%20fibre.htm
[2] http://www.nrv.gov.au/resources/_files/n35-dietaryfibre.pdf
Oops, realised where I said “So be clear, are you saying…” sounds very bossy, it was meant to be a more questioning “So TO be clear, are you saying…”.
[...] TweetResistant starch is a powerful type of carbohydrate that has been linked to weight loss and promoting digestive health. However, many Western diets seem to have forgotten about resistant starch and its health benefits. Australians are estimated to only consume 3- 9g on average despite the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) recommendation of 20g per day. [...]