Starch digestibility and resistant starch over 30 years
What it found
Starch in food is not all digested.
A fraction called resistant starch escapes human digestive enzymes and is fermented by gut bacteria, and this has been studied for over 30 years.
What they found
Resistant starch defined
In the 1980s, studies on starch digestion showed that some starch is not broken down by human digestive enzymes. This fraction was named resistant starch.
Gut bacteria ferment it
Resistant starch is not accessible to human digestive enzymes but can be fermented by gut bacteria in the large intestine. This fermentation produces short-chain fatty acids.
Five types of resistance
Resistant starch has been classified into five types. The types depend on the mechanism that makes the starch resist enzymatic hydrolysis.
Early research focus
Early work on resistant starch focused on methods to measure how much is in foods. It also looked at its effects in the body, including fermentation in the large intestine.
Industry interest
Later, the food industry became interested. Methods were developed to increase the resistant starch content of isolated starches.
Current research
Today, how resistant starch affects gut bacteria is a major research topic. This is because of possible health benefits.
What the authors conclude
“This review summarizes over 30 years of investigation on starch digestibility, its relationship with human health, the methods to produce RS and its impact on the microbiome.”
Also in their conclusions
- They summarize over 30 years of investigation on starch digestibility, its relationship with human health, the methods to produce resistant starch and its impact on the microbiome.
How it was done
For most of the last century, starch in foods was thought to be completely digested. Studies in the 1980s showed that some starch resists digestion, and interest grew in what that means for health and for the food industry.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This is a review of other research, not a new study. It cannot show cause and effect.
- The abstract does not give details of how many people or animals were studied, or for how long.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by SIP-IPN; EDI-IPN; COFAA-IPN; CONACYT-Mexico (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico; Lund University, Sweden
The paper
- Title
- Starch digestibility: past, present, and future
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Bello-Perez LA, Flores-Silva PC, Agama-Acevedo E, Tovar J (2020). Starch digestibility: past, present, and future. Journal of the science of food and agriculture. doi:10.1002/jsfa.8955PubMed 29427318DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error