Resistance starch is the healthiest kind of starch.
Also known as fermentable fiber, resistance starch is found in oats, peas, beans, cooked and cooled potatoes and rice, and slightly green bananas.
Resistant starch is different than regular starch. It isn’t digested in your small intestine — instead it ferments in your large intestine, feeding beneficial gut bacteria and acting like dietary fiber in your digestive system. Resistant starch also has fewer calories than other starch —2 vs. 4 calories per gram.
It turns out that resistant starch has very powerful health benefits.
A recent scientific study, just published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, found that resistant starch reduces a range of cancers by over 60%.
The effect was especially pronounced for upper gastrointestinal cancers.
“This is important as cancers of the upper GI tract are difficult to diagnose and often are not caught early on,” according to Professor John Mathers, professor of Human Nutrition at Newcastle University who helped lead the study.
The study involved more than 1000 people with Lynch syndrome, a hereditary condition that increases the risk of cancer. The preventive benefit was seen in those people who took resistant starch as a daily supplement in powder form, taken for an average of 2 years.
The dose used in the trial was equivalent to eating just one daily banana — while it is still slightly green, before becoming too ripe and soft.
The incredible thing is the cancer reduction benefit was seen to last for 10 years, even after people stopped taking the supplement!
“We think that resistant starch may reduce cancer development by changing the bacterial metabolism of bile acids and to reduce those types of bile acids that can damage our DNA and eventually cause cancer,” explained Professor Mathers.
Research published as part of the same trial revealed that aspirin reduced cancer of the large bowel by 50%.
Based on this study, the researchers now recommend aspirin and resistant starch for people at high genetic risk of cancer.
“The benefits are clear — aspirin and resistant starch work,” they concluded.
It seems one green banana per day can keep the doctor away.
Including alcohol detox in your health routine can amplify the benefits of resistant starch. Detoxing from alcohol supports gut health, enhances nutrient absorption, and boosts the efficacy of resistant starch in reducing cancer risks and improving overall digestive health.