RS is a PREbiotic (feeds gut flora). It is not digestible. (unless you heat it)
I am borderline prediabetic (T2 of course). I started out being reactive hypo in 2005. A year ago my A1c started creeping up (to 6.0), so I started using a BG meter and low-carbing. Got my A1c down to 5.3, but my starch tolerance was very poor.
In December I started RS. It has improved my starch tolerance tremendously. It helped my FBG (99 to 85) and 2 hour post prandial BG (120 to 90). After starting inulin (another prebiotic), and taking some soil based probiotics, my 1 hr post prandial is starting to improve too (156 to 109 after a 4oz potato).
RS feeds gut flora which seems to play a big role in BG regulation (think incretins, for example):
There are several type 2 RS anecdotes if you follow the links in the first link.
I urge you guys to try it on yourselves and see. Start with tiny amounts and work up slowly. The most common (temporary) side effect is hilarious amounts of gas.
I’ve been using potato starch, a resistant starch, since last January. It has improved markedly my symptoms of gastroparesis. I’ll spare you the pertinent details, let’s just say that my digestion is much more “normal” these days.
I also take a daily soil-based pro-biotic supplement.
I did a fair amount of reading about the concept of resistant starches and the studies going back to the '80’s verify the benefits. The gut is a major factor of the immune system and pre and pro-biotics are a big help.
I have seen enough reported benefits that I am starting the process of adapting to RS. I am on day 7. I don't think that I have gastroparesis, or if I do it is very mild, but I do have chronic constipation that I manage with magnesium, so I am hoping that RS will help. I am also hoping that it will improve my carb sensitivity. My fasting BG is already in the 70's mg/dl so I don't expect much improvement there.
For those of you who take potato starch, may I ask in what form? Since I eat gluten free, I find that many baked goods are made with some mixture of rice, tapioca, and potato starch--and they are all high in carbs. Thanks.
I use Bob's Red Mill Unmodified Potato Starch. Baking goods section of Whole Foods or Nob Hill. The right stuff is raw potato powder, unlike their "potato flour" which is cooked. Work your way up slowly to 4 tbsp per day. Cold water or smoothie. Do not heat else it turns into regular starch (and will spike your BG). The carb content on the label is what appears after cooking; taken raw, it's near zero.
I take 2 tbsp in my morning smoothie, and 2 tbsp before bed. For the biggest effect on post-prandial BG, take it 30-60 minutes before a starchy meal.
Another source is raw green bananas or plantains. The greener the better. That however makes my smoothies a bit chalky. Start with smaller amounts to see effect of the green banana on your BG though. You can also buy Wedo Green banana flour on Amazon.
I'm glad you guys are open to this. When I talked about this in the chat room, 1 or 2 members attacked me and said "I'll wait for the double-blind multimillion $ experiments". Good luck waiting for the same bureaucrats who still tell diabetics to eat 150g carbs a day instead of "eating accdg to your meter". I'm a proponent of knowledge-guided self-experimentation. As Terry points out there are studies of RS (often using potato starch) on pigs et al going back to the 80s.
Hi, there are several folks who take Potato Starch together with Psyllium powder in a glass of water. I know of 1 who's reported better results than either one alone.
Most people seem to report "the other end". Some people, who probably have dysbiosis, report belching.
For both groups there seems to be an adjustment period - they have to increase dosing slowly. Then they report common improvements:
- blood sugar control - improved #2
- sleep and more "lucid" dreams - weird but the flora RS feed regulate melatonin production
- a few report improved body composition. My wife's cousin for the first few months didn't lose weight on the scale but her face and waistline got thinner. One colleague at work - his face got thinner and he looks younger.
Here's a fantastic article. Among other things, that RS is one of the few forms of starch (to a chemist), that are not digestible (convertible to sugar), to the human digestive system. Instead gut flora convert it into short chain fatty acids (butyrate in particular). It also discussed the HUGE role gut flora has in health, that until recently, has been largely ignored by modern medicine: http://www.gestaltreality.com/2014/02/27/resistant-starch-a-concise-guide/
