Does Resistant Starch Really Work?

Resistant Starch has been a hot topic in recent years because the health media keeps telling us starch is not that good. Why? because starch is basically long chain of sugar and sugar is bad for us, right?

What is Resistant Starch and Why?

Resistant starch is a carbohydrate that resist digestion in the small intestine and ferments in the large intestine. As the fibers ferment they act as a probiotic and feed the good bacteria in the gut. There are several types of resistant starch. They are classified by their structure or source. More than one type can be present in a single food. You can simply google the types if you want to know.

So in simple words, Resistant Starch resist digestion so it cannot be turned into sugar, thus won’t affect your insulin level. In fact, many studies in humans show that resistant starch can have powerful health benefits, such as improved insulin sensitivity, lower blood sugar levels, reduced appetite and various benefits for digestion. Sounds pretty good, right?

Turn Potato to Resistant, the “Potato Hack”?

If you know the word “Resistant Starch”, you probably already know the famous “Potato  Hack” which basically turn potato to resistant starch. I love potato, white, brown, red, whatever color it is, I love it. Smash potato is my favorite Thanksgiving dish. But they are not very good to your health because they can easily spike your blood sugar level. Same as white rice. But what if we can turn potato to resistant starch? That is why it is called a Hack.Boil Potato

Basically this “Potato Hack” is to boil potato as you usually do, but let it sit in fridge over right before eat. Because study shows the process of cooling on potato starch can turn it to resistant starch. But the question that is still not clear to me is what percentage can this hack produce? 1%? or 20% or even more? Unfortunately I cannot find any study to answer my question directly. If any of you have answers, please leave a comment below.

Because I cannot find any direct or scientific evidence to support this “Potato Hack”, I trends to believe it does not really work well. It certainly helps, but it still spike your blood sugar level. So my approach is still to limit the amount of potato you consume and also make sure to consume it along with other food like healthy fat, fiber (greens) and protein.

In case you want to know, here is a video about the “Potato Hack”

Here is the video from Dr Berry about result of this “Potato Hack”

Final Thoughts

Overall, I do believe Resistant Starch is better than regular cooked starch, but it does not mean we can eat without any limitation. I still prefer a more balanced diet from different source and categories. You can also get pre-made resistant starch from grocery stores to replace your regular starch and I believe that would help a lot too. Jonny’s is my favorite brand.