*the podcast will be changing to every other week during the COVID-19 outbreak due to my interviewees busy schedules*
Resistant starch is something we get a lot less of in the diet, but plays an important role as a prebiotic, as well as exerting benefits to our health by way of the gut microbiota. This week I interview Jason Leibert and Dr. Jason Bush on their research around resistant starch.
Nutrition Pearls for Resistant Starch
- Resistant starch is really challenging to get in our diet, and in comparison with ancestral or traditional diets, our consumption has markedly decreased
- With current dietary patterns, we are getting about 4 grams per day, simply by how we’ve changed our food selection & cooking methods
- Some research suggests doses of 15 – 20 grams a day are needed to be effective, however, current research is also looking into doses of 3.5-7 grams of resistant starch a day for metabolic and digestive health benefits (cit 1+2)
- There are many potential health benefits from consuming RS as a functional ingredient, including GI health and disease prevention – especially when the resistant starch remains in the food matrix
- Resistant starch to bridge the fibre gap can help with metabolic improvements and improving insulin sensitivity
- Resistant starch acts as a prebiotic, enhancing the population of bifidobacteria in the gut microbiota and can help reduce some GI symptoms, reducing constipation and diarrhea (at 7 grams per day)
Dr. Jason Bush is an investigator of the microbiome. As the Chief Scientific Officer at MSP Starch Products Inc., he has led two clinical trials, which unlocked numerous clues explaining how resistant starch is utilized in the gut microbiome to influence human health.
Jason Leibert is a resistant starch advocate and storyteller. He has a successful track recorded of business development within the life sciences sector and, as the Chief Growth Officer at MSP Starch Products Inc., leads the business trajectory of SolnulTM and strategic growth for the company. Over the last several years, he’s built an internal team and an international village of believers to help bring back the ancestral story of prebiotic potato fiber and preach the resistant starch benefits.
In this episode we discuss:
- A bit about SolnulTM from Winnipeg MB
- What is resistant starch?
- How much resistant starch do we get in the diet?
- How were ancestral diets rich in resistant starch in comparison with modern diets?
- How does resistant starch fuel bacteria in the gut microbiota
- How resistant starch stimulates changes in the metabolism of humans
- How resistant starch improves insulin resistance
- How resistant starch improves IBS-like symptoms at a 7 gram dose, and still has prebiotic like effects without increasing gassiness
You can learn more about SolnulTM at their website here.
REFERENCES
- Miketinas, D. C., Shankar, K., Maiya, M., & Patterson, M. A. (2020). Usual Dietary Intake of Resistant Starch in US Adults from NHANES 2015–2016. The Journal of Nutrition.
- Landon S, Colyer C, Salman H. The resistant starch report—Food Australia Supplement 2012[Internet] [cited 2019 Oct 1]. Available from:https://www.ingredion.co.kr/content/dam/ingredion/pdf-downloads/apac/APAC_2013_Hi-maize_The_Resistant_Starch_Report.pdf
- Birt, D. F., Boylston, T., Hendrich, S., Jane, J. L., Hollis, J., Li, L., … & Schalinske, K. (2013). Resistant starch: promise for improving human health. Advances in nutrition, 4(6), 587-601.
- Alfa, M. J., Strang, D., Tappia, P. S., Olson, N., DeGagne, P., Bray, D., … & Hiebert, B. (2018). A randomized placebo controlled clinical trial to determine the impact of digestion resistant starch MSPrebiotic® on glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance in elderly and mid-age adults. Frontiers in Medicine, 4, 260.
- Alfa, M. J., Strang, D., Tappia, P. S., Graham, M., Van Domselaar, G., Forbes, J. D., … & Murray, B. L. (2018). A randomized trial to determine the impact of a digestion resistant starch composition on the gut microbiome in older and mid-age adults. Clinical Nutrition, 37(3), 797-807.
So what makes this product different than just the potato starch that I buy for baking? Also, I’m not seeing whether this product is something that can currently be purchased – do you know if it’s already on the market? Thanks!
Hi April! This product is exceptionally high in resistant starch specifically due to the processing – not all potato starches will have the same content of resistant starch. The product is available for consumers as ‘MSPrebiotic’, the commercial brand is SolNul 🙂 You can buy it online! I find it goes well in smoothies, it’s insoluble so it settles out in a glass of water quickly and is better in a bit of a thicker liquid!
Enjoy!