Starch

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Gut adaptation after bowel surgery²

  In people with short bowel syndrome, starch is absorbed or fermented almost completely and may help the gut adapt.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar response³

  Cooling cooked white rice then reheating it raised resistant starch and lowered blood sugar response in healthy adults.

• Benefit

  Weight loss and blood sugar⁴

  In people with excess weight, resistant starch helped with weight loss and insulin resistance, linked to gut bacteria changes.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Colon cancer risk¹¹

  In animal studies, resistant starch suppressed colon tumors caused by high-fructose corn syrup by reshaping gut bacteria.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Gut health and chronic disease⁵

  Resistant starch changes gut bacteria and may help people with diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, or bowel cancer.

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria⁷

  Some starch resists digestion and is fermented by gut bacteria, and research suggests it may have health-related benefits.

• Open question

  Gut bacteria changes⁸

  Resistant starch changes gut bacteria differently in each person, depending on the type eaten and their starting gut bugs.

• Concern

  Diabetes risk from food⁹

  Starch is a main source of food energy, and how fast the body digests it is linked to diabetes.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and kidney health¹⁰

  Replacing simple carbs with resistant starch may help blood sugar and kidney health, but more human studies are needed.

How it’s made and used

• Gut enzyme digestion⁶

  Young babies digest starch very differently from one another, relying on a specific gut enzyme to break it down.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.