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Fibre from resistant starch may aid weight loss via gut microbiota modulation – RCT

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Fibre from resistant starch may aid weight loss via gut microbiota modulation – RCT

Resistant starch (RS) is a fermentable dietary fibre that cannot be digested by human amylases (digestive enzymes) in the small intestine and moves into the colon, where it undergoes fermentation by gut microbiota. RS is naturally occurring in foods like legumes, cereal, rice, and wholegrain bread.

Researchers in China conducted a randomised clinical trial (RCT) in individuals with excess body weight and found that modulation of gut microbiota by RS may offer solutions for metabolic disorders.

“RS can facilitate weight loss at least partially through ​Bifidobacterium adolescentis, and gut microbiota is essential for the action of RS,”​ wrote the researchers in Nature Metabolism​.

“We found that RS supplementation, coupled with isoenergetic (same total amount of calories for all participants) and balanced diets, significantly reduced body weight and improved insulin sensitivity in humans,” said​ the researchers.

Although studies in rodents have demonstrated that RS could lead to a decrease in total body fat, human data did not show the same results. The potential of RS to be used for obesity treatment in humans therefore remains unclear.

Thus, the researchers conducted an RCT to investigate the impact of RS on gut microbiota and its role in weight loss among obese individuals.

The study was conducted in Shanghai, China from 3 July 2013 to 14 October 2016. Thirty-seven participants between the ages of 25 to 41 were recruited for a placebo-controlled, double-blinded, crossover design trial.

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