Contents:
- Medical Video: Medical Animation: HIV and AIDS
- What is resistant starch?
- Types of resistant starch
- Type 1
- Type 2
- Type 3
- Type 4
- Benefits of resistant starch for body health
- Where can resistant starch be obtained?
Medical Video: Medical Animation: HIV and AIDS
Resistant starch has recently become increasingly popular as a source of healthy food. Starch itself is a long chain structure of a lot of glucose combined, which can be found in potatoes, seeds, and various other carbohydrate foods. Resistant starch is a type of starch that is difficult for the body to digest. Many studies have shown that resistant starch has many health benefits that are not to be missed. Let's find out more about this type of starch.
What is resistant starch?
Resistant starch is starch which cannot be destroyed at all and is digested by the stomach. After entering the small intestine, foods that are resistant to starch are fermented before entering the large intestine. The fermented product will then produce a short chain fatty acid called SCFA. This short chain fatty acid serves as an energy source for cells of the large intestine.
Resistant starch is also a food source for good bacteria in the intestine. Increasing SCFA levels in the large intestine is known to be beneficial for intestinal health to help prevent the development of abnormal cells such as cancer cells.
Types of resistant starch
Not all resistant starches are the same, there are several types of resistant starches that you can find, namely:
Type 1
This type of starch is found in grains and processed products such as bread, and nuts. This resistant starch is resistant to digestion because the cell walls of starch are hard like fibrous shells.
Type 2
Found in some raw foods such as raw potatoes and green bananas (which are still raw). This type of starch cannot be broken down by digestive enzymes so it cannot be destroyed.
Type 3
Formed when food containing cooked or processed starch is then cooled. Cooling changes some starch which can be digested into resistant starch through a process called retrogradation.
Type 4
This type of starch is specifically made by humans through certain chemical processes. The formation of starch is carried out by etherization or esterification. This type of starch is usually found as a modification in making bread or cakes.
Benefits of resistant starch for body health
Resistant starch has various health benefits. Starch effective for lower blood sugar levels after eating, by increasing the sensitivity of the hormone insulin, so that the body can use insulin more efficiently.
Some studies have found a 33-50% increase in insulin sensitivity after 4 weeks consuming 15-30 grams of starch a day. By increasing insulin sensitivity, the blood sugar will decrease. For this reason, the content of resistant starch can help stabilize blood sugar levels.
By reducing blood sugar levels, this type of starch can help prevent the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer's disease.
Resistant starch also has very important benefits in maintain a healthy digestive system. The presence of resistant starch in the intestine helps reduce intestinal pH levels that have the potential to reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of abnormal cell growth, including preventing colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths in the world, reported by Healthline.
Not only that. Reporting from the British Journal of Nutrition, resistant starch can make you feel full longer so that it can help you control your calorie intake so you don't overdo it. This is because the fermented resistant starch in the intestine helps increase the release of hormone-controlling hormones so that finally a feeling of satiety arises.
Where can resistant starch be obtained?
Resistant starch is naturally contained in some foods such as bananas, potatoes, and nuts and seeds.
Reported on the British Nutrition Foundation's website, the following is a breakdown of the resistant starch content of 100 grams of food below:
- Ripe bananas (yellow) contain 1.23
- Raw bananas (which are still green) contain 8.5
- Brown rice contains 1.7-3.7
- White rice contains 1.2-3.7
- Red beans contain 1.5-2.6
- Potatoes contain 1.07
- Mature lentils contain 3.4
- Peas contain 0.77
- Baked beans contain 1.4
- Ripe whole wheat pasta contains 1.4
The more resistant starch contained in a food, the fewer calories it contains.
This starch can also be formed from the process of cooling food. After cooking, cool the food so that the resistant starch levels increase. Some food manufacturers also deliberately produce food products that have been fortified with resistant starch at the time of processing.
