Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Latest RS Paper

I just stumbled across this today...seems to have been just released in full.

Role of Resistant Starch in Improving Gut Health, Adiposity, and Insulin Resistance

Have a quick look, sometimes papers like this are not available for long. I'll try to hit the highlights here.



The realization that low–glycemic index diets were formulated using resistant starch led to more than a decade of research on the health effects of resistant starch.
post moved to potatohack.com

35 comments:

  1. Hi Tim,

    Thanks for this research, would like to highlight a couple of aspects.

    1. From Study:
    'Additionally, effects of fermentation were significantly greater in rats fed the WG (whole grain) products.
    This is likely because of components beyond HAMRS2 found in the 2 WG flour–containing diets. As stated above, the WG diets would also have RS1 (3, 4), arabinoxylans (61), cellulose and hemicellulose (59), and polyphenolic (59) compounds.
    The latter 4 types of compounds would be found in the bran component of the WG (59).'

    2. 50% of the fat component by weight was from high PUFA high omega-6 corn oil.

    3. The study referred to in:
    'Our group demonstrated that fermentation and other beneficial health effects of HAMRS2 feeding are attenuated with the consumption of a high-fat (42% of energy) diet (42).'
    actually says 'PARTIALLY Attenuates Fermentation Responses' and also says:
    'In a previous study, consumption of a diet with moderate fat (11% by weight and 28% by energy) did not attenuate reduction of body fat with feeding of HAM-RS2 to rodents (4).'
    So high fat (42% of energy) Partially attenuates and moderate fat (28% of energy) did not attenuate. So I would suggest that the see-saw figure exaggerates the negative effects of fat a bit. Also in the previous study shows that the mice on the higher fat percentage in their diets also had a higher total calorie intake.

    Possible being nit picky.

    Thanks again Tim. Love your stuff.
    Cheers, Adrian

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    1. Adrian - I think this shows the effects of many years of fat-bashing in dietary circles, don't you? As I was reading, I was gritting my teeth as they discussed the high fat diet experiments thinking it was a bit biased.

      Good catch on the whole grains. As you must know, I'm a big fan of whole grains. I think if people all consumed a cup or so of whole grains prepared in various ways most days we would not be having any of these conversations. I've never really been a big fan of Hi-Maize as used in these studies and would love to see comparable research done using humans and different dietary interventions/supplemental starches, ie RPS.

      The big takeaway for me on this paper was more the upregulated gene expression findings than anything else. All the rest was just variations on 30 years of RS/fiber studies (and fat bashing).


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    2. Point 2 is from 'High Fat Diet Partially Attenuates Fermentation Responses in
      Rats Fed Resistant Starch from High-Amylose Maize'. Its probably irrelevant anyway as 100% of fat for the low fat diet was corn oil.

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  2. Thanks again Tim, If I could ask where abouts to you generally sit with regards to the dietary caloric percentages for fats, carbs, and protein. I have been in the fats 40-50%, carbs 30 - 35%, protein 20-25%. Even though I agree with you about 'fat bashing' and obviously a bit defensive around it I am open to lowering fat content if it will provide actual benefits.
    Cheers, adrian
    PS I now get it about the potato diet. Took me a while.

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    1. I have no idea where I sit with macro ratios. Today was a typical day:
      1/2 oz of 100% cocoa
      1 can of smoked oysters in olive oil, oil drained, mostly
      1 small cucumber
      1 small carrot
      5 big strawberries
      1 green onion, roots, bulb and leaves
      ~4oz of moose burger in Paul Newman Spaghetti Sauce
      Small bowl of quinoa spaghetti
      2 slices of dried plantain dipped in peanut butter
      1 carton of lowfat Dannon peach yogurt w/2TBS of potato starch added

      No idea. Maybe 30:30:30?

      The stuff I eat is so hard to categorize with a calorie counter. All the veggies were picked in my garden.

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    2. Where I generally stand on fat is that I am not afraid of it, but I don't go out of my way to add it. I poured a bit of olive oil on the quinoa spaghetti, but I poured the olive oil out of the oysters I ate...a wash?

      The yogurt I ate was only low fat because that was all they had at the cafeteria at work. I prefer full-fat greek yogurt, unflavored.

      I normally eat lots of cheese, but I'm out at the moment.

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    3. Tim -

      That's an interesting day. Cheese is good. I'm not a fan of yogurt though.

      After years of eating low fat to be healthy (ha, ha), fats still give me a momentary pause. I enjoy fat, and I do look for it once in a while. I'll even crave it if I go too long, like when I spent several days at a friend's house who made "healthy" stuff because they knew I liked to eat healthy. I have some Iberico pork that is just loaded with fat, and I eat it all. So good. But 4 ounces of that will curb my appetite significantly for a day or so.

      Today (typical):

      2 large egg omelette with 1.5 ounce of cheese, 1/2 bulb (not clove) minced garlic, a handful of green onions. The garlic and onions are put in the center of the omelette.

      teaspoon of miso, tablespoon of sauerkraut

      A raw carrot from a farm

      Either grilled lamb leg steak or pork chop, including fat. Baked potato with garlic scape goat butter and green onions. Lightly roasted green beans.

      Plus my fiber drinks.

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    4. Hi Wilbur,
      I really appreciate your fiber cocktail and have been doing a variation of it for some time. Thanks for being so willing to share your experience. I am still having fodmap issues but otherwise I think it works well for me and I miss it greatly if I have to skip.
      I wanted to respond to the concern you expressed (somewhere, not too long ago) about colonoscopies. I too have worried about this, especially since I get polyps and need to get them removed periodically. Because of this, though, I do think it makes sense to check out what is happening in there--if no polyps you can go 10 years or more until the next one. But what I wanted to tell you is that you can get them to give you the 'old fashioned' clean out formula (Miralax in my case) which is not as harsh as the newer ones. And even better, you most likely do not need anesthesia, you can just tell them you want to try without. The procedure is short, not terribly uncomfortable, and fascinating to watch. Perhaps being awake makes perforation less likely, as well. You can drive yourself home afterward, no recovery time at all.
      I took my 'Wilbur" along with a megadose of probiotics right afterwards and detected no effect on my digestion.
      Hope this is useful! Please keep commenting, it's always fun to read your contributions.

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    5. This is very useful information indeed! Thank you. The more information I get like this, the less I worry about the gut bug effect. The Elixa guy over on FTA said something consistent, that the bugs are only reduced in number but the profile should be the same. I feel more informed and hope that I can have a useful discussion with my doctor.

      There is a chance that I have a genetic condition called malignant hyperthermia, which, if I do, makes gas-based anesthesia risky for me. Also intubation in an emergency. I wear a chain to alert EMT. My understanding is that no anesthesia raises the risk of perforation since I might twitch. I dunno.

      I am very curious about whether the fiber regimen decreases or stops your polyps over time. I have no family history of them.

      What are your issues with FODMAPS? For a while, even after doing fiber for a while, I'd occasionally get loose stools. Nothing terrible like IBS. Then at some point, even that stopped. I have had perfect stools for so long that I can't remember the last time they weren't. Do you do the raw onions and garlic too? I also do the occasional week or so of berberine. I think these might be important for their antimicrobial properties. Today I had a hamburger at a restaurant. I asked them for a side of sliced onion. "Fill the bowl until you think it's too much. Then double it." I still got less then I wanted. Also, are you getting adequate water? The Suppversity link on Tim's blog right now suggests to me a possible link, but it's speculation on my part. As a family of three, we go through 35-40 gallons per month, far outstripping what I see my neighbors use. I drink by far the most. I drink only when I'm thirsty, and my urination is normal. I have noticed some correlation between proper digestion and water intake, but usually going the way of harder stools.

      I believe that there might be a little suffering on the way to a good gut. I was ignorant of this prior to starting, and attributed whatever happened to the old me. Certain things - diarrhea with yacon root and mushrooms, extreme gas with dandelion root - I chalked up to idiosyncrasies is my gut. By powering through them, I've eliminated them. They are now part of my daily regimen. And after doing so, my digestion is now perfect every day no matter what I eat. I'm not saying that powering through is for everyone! I'm just mentioning my experience.

      Good luck! I wish I'd known then what I know now. I would have done cleaner experiments. Then again, I might not have experienced the results I've gotten because I might have given up. Who knows!

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    6. Oh, one more thing! I read a book that spent a lot of time on mastication. At the time, I thought the emphasis was silly. Now, however, I believe it. I chew my food, especially the fibrous stuff, until it is fully chewed. Occasionally I forget, and some foods -mushrooms, beans, and corn in particular- give me great gas if I don't. I notice remnants in my stool immediately following. I can eat large amounts if I fully chew them with no ill effects.

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    7. Wilbur - I think you will like Jeff Leaches' new post: Who Eats More Fiber?

      http://humanfoodproject.com/paleo-versus-vegetarian-who-eats-more-fiber/

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    8. Tim -

      I loved the post. I commented, but it's still in moderation. Jeff provided the initial spark and inspiration for what I am doing. I read his stuff right after my doc gave me six months to fix myself or I'd go on statins (I was put on meds for hypertension immediately). He referenced Taubes' book, which changed my philosophy about fats (but Taubes' stuff about carbs didn't sit right with me). I started getting positive changes, and then became intrigued by your comments on Jeff's blog about resistant starches. I started implementing your ideas into what I was doing. Everything just accelerated from there. I lost a lot of weight without effort. My allergies disappeared. I got a new blood test. My doc called to tell me the results. She was floored - "I didn't even know this was possible." I've since improved! It took time, but eventually my high blood pressure disappeared too. I used to feel my heart race and hear it beat under normal load. Now, I do not feel it beat AT ALL even under intense loads, like pool sprinting or farmer's carries. I breathe hard, but no heart beats.

      I likely owe you and Jeff my life. I'm not being melodramatic. My path looked to be the same as my parents who suffered and died from the same conditions. I watched them suffer the indignanties of dieting and drugs. I'd say I feel decades younger, but even 30 years ago I had problems that I do not have now. I humbly give you both my sincerest gratitude.

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    9. I've tried hard to get Jeff's attention, but he generally just ignores me. He probably thinks I'm some kind of snakeoil salesman trying to get him to say something for my benefit.

      I think he completely misses the importance of fermentable fiber vs. "fiber".

      And, I will go to my grave saying that a couple spoonfuls of raw potato starch can make all the difference in the world for most folks without changing anything else they do.

      I'd also like to see more people try your methods as well. uBiome is having a 'contest' in which they will give $100,000 worth of free gut samples for a research project. If I win...you are participant #1!

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    10. Good luck with the contest!

      I like Justin Sonnenburg's term "Microbiota Accessible Carbohydrates" (MACs). This also implies the other direction ... that you have the microbes present to take advantage of the carbohydrates.

      Barney

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    11. haha, you are "study participant #2" there buddy!

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    12. Hi again Wilbur, in reply to your comments above, thank you! I don't have serious IBS but get gassy and uncomfortable from certain fruits, sugars, and (sometimes) onions and garlic. This is gradually getting better.
      I think you are right about powering through a certain amount of discomfort. At first inulin made me miserable but now I can eat a tablespoon of it and I think it has reduced my reactivity to onions. (I still react to them sometimes, but also crave them). I am going to try to do the same with FOS/fruit (the differences between these two fibers is not clear to me, if they are different). I'm not taking as much as you are in a day and am thinking of increasing the amount and taking it twice a say instead of only once. I remember you said that you had to work up to a lot before you really noticed the effects.
      I really like some of the fibers you've suggested--baobab, Syontix. My goal is to be able to eat anything, as you can now.
      Thanks for the suggestions about chewing (makes sense), water, and berberine. I will give them all a try. I too wonder whether the fiber regime will make the polyps go away--I have three years to try it out until the next colonoscopy.
      I'm glad that you were able to avoid statins!
      Jane

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    13. Wilbur,
      Thank you for mentioning masticating. I need all the reminders I can get on that one!

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    14. Wilbur,

      I have a few comments for you regarding MH, colonoscopy and anesthesia. I am a nurse anesthetist. First of all, I would highly suggest you get tested. Avoiding MH triggers can make anesthesia much more complex and sometimes less safe (such as emergency intubation as you mentioned.) It would be much better to know with certainty, so those triggers do not have to be unnecessarily avoided.

      Also, the vast majority of colonoscopies are done with just IV sedation. Even when anesthesia is needed, it is usually done with stronger IV agents. No MH triggers. This is with the caveat that complications and airway issues can arise at anytime, albeit extremely rare, with the need for more invasive measures (intubation, etc..)

      BW

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    15. Thank you for the information! I want to state my justification for not getting tested since you know more about the accommodations that need to be made that would make things less safe. First, if a test says I have MH, then I have to do all the same things I do now (MH wallet card, alert necklace, etc.). There is a test using a plug of muscle that will definitively rule it in or out. There is a genetic test that can say I have it, but cannot rule it out. The muscle test is painful and it cannot be done locally. So for a nontrivial surgery I would avoid the inconvenience of a necklace (but now maybe more that you know about) if I don't have it.

      My understanding is that it's not even a big deal to have it triggered as long as I get the antidote quickly. An anesthesiologist told me that having the antidote on hand is now standard. I didn't like that guy so I'm not sure I believe him.

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  3. Tim Steele said:
    [quote]I have no idea where I sit with macro ratios. Today was a typical day:
    1/2 oz of 100% cocoa
    1 can of smoked oysters in olive oil, oil drained, mostly
    1 small cucumber
    1 small carrot
    5 big strawberries
    1 green onion, roots, bulb and leaves
    ~4oz of moose burger in Paul Newman Spaghetti Sauce
    Small bowl of quinoa spaghetti
    2 slices of dried plantain dipped in peanut butter
    1 carton of lowfat Dannon peach yogurt w/2TBS of potato starch added

    No idea. Maybe 30:30:30?

    The stuff I eat is so hard to categorize with a calorie counter. All the veggies were picked in my garden. [/quote]

    Tim, is that your food intake for a whole day?

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    1. Yep! That day. Fairly typical. On weekends I usually also have a breakfast of eggs, bacon, oatmeal or some other grain porridge with honey or molasses. And I usually eat a lot of cheese, too.

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    2. I just got back from a 6-mile walk and ate a lunch of 1/2 red shallot, a medium red carrot, and a handful of blackberries. I'm stuffed.

      I read someplace that SCFA production in the gut can provide 10% of our calories. I don't know if it's true, whether it's based on a healthy gut or an average gut, or whether it depends on how much fiber one eats. Tim, do you know? It often strikes me about how little food I seem to need, and that I eat for pleasure, not from feeling nutritionally deprived.

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    3. Thanks, Gentlemen.

      What do you think about generally accepted calorie requirements of around 2000 calories per day?

      I personally find that very hard to do unless I go heavy on fatty food or added fat.

      I think it's way high. Just wondering what better minds than me think.

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    4. The Sonnenburgs seem to know. I found a Google preview of their book Good Gut (I might buy it) that says in the typical Western gut about 6-10% of caloric intake comes from SCFAs. The calories "consumed" increase when fiber increases. Although one gets more calories from SCFAs when eating giber, people eating more fiber tend to lose weight.

      Amy, I do not have a better mind, but I don't think we have a good measure of what a calorie is. The epilogue to "Catching Fire: how cooking made us human" opened my eyes to its flaws as a scientific concept for human energy. Now, add to those flaws that the composition of the gut matters...

      I just eat.

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    5. Wilbur, you'd figure the maximum number of calories contained in anything would be whatever is determined with a bomb calorimeter. Just we'd been lead to believe, or at least I was, that a bomb calorimeter will indicate higher calories based on heat generated than the human body can obtain from certain types of food. I.e. high fibre vegetables.

      That was pre-microbiome consideration. I would hazard a guess that purified raw starch, as in potato starch, would probably contribute a significant percentage of it's calories through bacterial fementation.

      Bacteria also breakdown in the gut, so their cell contents go into our circulation as well. Not sure, but aren't gram negative bacterial cell walls lipopolysaccharides that can be measured in the blood too? Gemma can correct me here.

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    6. Sorry, cell membranes of bacteria, not cell walls. That would be gram positives.

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    7. There was some research published recently that high LPS in the blood correlates to Alzheimer's risk. So leaky gut and AD can be related....ahhh, everything starts in the gut.

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    8. Gabriella -

      I'm not an expert on this topic. I'm basing this on my recollection of Catching Fire, which was a while ago. As I recall, and this might not exact, is that the calorie contents of food are primarily based on 4 calories for proteins and carbs, 9 for fats. These themselves are estimates, and are not entirely accurate. Some proteins, for instance, have fewer calories. This is known, but adjusting the nutritional data would be too cumbersome.

      Also, the calories obtained from food depends on the context in which it is eaten. Proteins eaten with fat provide different calories that proteins eaten alone. Fiber apparently reduces calories from all sources. A pound of beef has fewer digested calories as a steak than as ground beef. The difference seems to be significant - 25-40% in some cases. Medium rare vs medium well matters.

      Then you add the gut aspect. I'm betting that your guess about potato starch is right. Perhaps many purified fibers, like inulin too. But there might be surprises. Cellulose is more digestible than I thought, according to what I've read (30%?). Maybe the undigested gristle and stuff from steaks feeds the bugs.

      Bottom line is that I don't pay much attention to calories as they are conventionally thought of. I don't know what they mean, or how they relate e to my health. I just eat. it's for pleasure - I like foods - not because I have a physical need to eat.

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    9. "What do you think about generally accepted calorie requirements of around 2000 calories per day? "

      I think it is nearly impossible to accurately measure calories, even when not looking at fiber.

      I think that when a person is trying to lose weight, it can be helpful to track calories just to get a rough idea af what you are eating, but long term it is not helpful to eat to a calorie goal each day.

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  4. I continue to read all this great information, in hopes of solving a mystery . . . I've continued to experiment, off and on, with RPS and cooled potatoes. The RPS dramatically helps with sleep, mood, mental focus, and energy, but also packs on the weight and flares some OCD tendencies. A friend of mine thinks I might be one of those unfortunate people that has blood sugar issues with potatoes, hence the weight gain, but I've yet to be convinced. I had an interesting development recently. I tried the Elixa probiotics for 12 days. Skin quality dramatically improved, I slept a bit better, and had some improvement in mental focus, and then (shocking to me) at the end of the course I found that I wasn't all that interested in potatoes. Normally, when I start eating potato, I have a difficult time stopping and have to tap into willpower to not eat past fullness. I reheated some for my husband, had a couple of bites (and it tasted good to me), but I didn't feel any compulsion to have more. I'm telling you, this is strange for me. I haven't tried the RPS since taking Elixa, so now I'm curious to give it a go and see if my problems with it are a thing of the past.

    Cheryl

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    1. You never know! I keep hearing good things about Elixa.

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    2. Yep, I'll just have to experiment again and see what happens.

      Cheryl

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    3. I suspect that all these posts about Elixa mentioning "great skin" are paid ads. I tried Elixa myself, find it great, but seriously, stop this covert campaign.

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    4. I don't know if you're joking or not, but I'll at least go with the assumption that you're only half joking and give some additional information. I've also had this "great skin" response when taking higher doses of other probiotics and probiotic foods. It happened when I double-dosed Primal Flora for several days, and it happened when I consistently drank water kefir, both taken independently (separated by a few months). Because I'm experimenting with different supplements and foods, and didn't keep taking these all the time, my skin lost its luster. I've held onto the improvements from Elixa much longer than I did with the other probiotics and probiotic foods . . . perhaps because now I'm on top of getting lots of fiber in my diet.

      Cheryl

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  5. Hi, Tim.

    Have you heard the news that boiling rice with some fat (like coconut oil) and then cooling it seems to increase the RS quite a bit? Google "boiling rice with oil". I'm not sure how significant is the effect of the oil, though.

    What's your opinion on this? Do you think adding fat to the water when we boil potatoes could increase the RS?

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