Resistant Starch

Whether or not you decide to implement a ketogenic diet, you'll want to start supplementing with resistant starch (RS). RS is a form of starch that is indigestible by humans. We don't have the enzymes required to break it down, so we rely on microbes to do that for us. It turns out that our health is much improved when we have a robust population of mostly beneficial microbes busily fermenting carbohydrates into fats in our colons. Gorillas have giant colons which allow them to eat vast amounts of cellulose to feed cellulose digesting microbes which produce fats. In comparison, human colons are too small to provide for very much cellulose digestion. Our small colons have been cited as evidence that we gave up fermenting things in preference for eating fat and meat directly. Although we apparently did learn how to get a lot more fat directly in our diets, it looks like we may have also switched from fermenting cellulose carbohydrates to fermenting more concentrated forms of carbohydrates such as roots and pollen, which don't require such a gigantic colon. RS is just such a carbohydrate.

There is a lot of research out there on RS, but very little public awareness of it. I am only aware of it thanks to "Tatertot" and Richard Nikoley who have been posting about it on Nickoley's blog. It is only a matter of time before books start coming out popularizing the use of RS for health. To summarize what I've learned so far, mostly from Nikoley's blog, here are some bullet points. I can personally vouch for some of the effects listed below.

Resistant Starch (RS)

Main Effects

• Lowers blood sugar
• Increases body temperature
• Increases mineral absorption
• Increases beneficial bacteria
• Decreases bad bacteria
• Improves colon health
• Improves elimination habits
• Improves cholesterol profile

 Other Effects

• Increases serotonin production in the gut
• Causes increase in length and vividness of dreams

 How Does RS Work

• Indigestible by humans, eaten by bacteria
• Provides safe transit for beneficial bacteria to the colon
• Preferentially feeds beneficial bacteria
• Allows beneficial bacteria to outcompete bad bacteria
• Attracts bad bacteria away from bodily tissues and transports them to the colon where they can be more easily disposed of
• In the colon, bacteria break down RS to produce butyrate and other short chain fatty acids (SCFAs)
• Butyrate is the preferred fuel of the cells which line the colon (colonocytes)
• Colonocytes can only run on butyrate when it is produced in ample amounts via fermentation in the colon
• SCFAs are healthy fats, also found in coconut oil
• Just as coconut oil is good for skin, the SCFAs produced in the colon are good for the colon
• SCFAs are highly ketogenic fats (easily broken down to produce ketones)
• Ketones are beneficial for brain health

How to Get RS

• Aim to get 4 tablespoons per day of Bob’s Red Mill Unmodified Potato Starch
• Start with 1 tablespoon per day
• Add another tablespoon per day every 3 to 7 days until you get to 4 per day
• Just mix it with plain water and drink it
• Take it in 2 or more servings throughout the day
• If it makes you too gassy just back off a bit and increase again after a few days
• It may be better to take it in between meals to avoid excessive gassiness
• The potato starch must be raw and unmodified (heat destroys RS)
• Although heat destroys raw RS, when starches such as rice are cooked and then cooled, RS re-forms during the cooling process
• Supplement with food sources of RS such as green bananas, parboiled rice that has been cooked and then cooled (reheating is ok), cooked and cooled potatoes, others…

Click here for a printable version of the bullet points above.

Resistant starch ought to be helpful in fighting cancer.