Health Benefits of Resistant Starch Highlighted at International Dietary Fiber Conference

National Starch’s clinical manager, Dr. Christine Pelkman, co-chairing and speaking on resistant starch at the 9^th Vahouny Fiber Symposium

BRIDGEWATER, N.J.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Many of the world’s leading dietary fiber experts from around the world are convening this week in North Bethesda, Md., at the 9^th Vahouny Fiber Symposium. The resistant starch session, co-chaired by National Starch’s clinical manager, Dr. Christine Pelkman, and Dr. Tony Bird, from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences in Australia, will introduce emerging research that supports a number of metabolic health benefits linked to the consumption of resistant starch. Dr. Pelkman is presenting recently published scientific evidence demonstrating that Hi-maize resistant starch and Hi-maize whole grain corn flour increase satiety. The session features three additional key investigators: Dr. Denise Robertson, from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, Dr. Tony Bird, and Dr. Michael Keenan, from Louisiana State University. The resistant starch session is being held on Friday, June 11, 2010, at 8:30 a.m. ET.

“We’re collaborating on the most advanced research with distinguished researchers around the world who are investigating different aspects of resistant starch’s mechanisms and health benefits”

“The topic is particularly timely because dietary fiber is one of only five ‘nutrients of concern’ identified by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Committee,” said Dr. E. Terry Finocchiaro, National Starch director of nutrition R&D. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommended that American adults consume between 28 grams of dietary fiber (for women consuming the recommended energy level of 2,000 kilocalories/day) and 36 grams of dietary fiber (for men consuming the recommended energy level of 2,600 kilocalories/day).¹ Currently, American women typically consume between 12.1 and 13.8 grams/day and American men typically consume between 16.5 and 17.9 grams/day.² Thus, a significant gap of over 50% exists between recommended and actual intake of fiber by American adults.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines Committee is expected to continue to emphasize the need to fill the “Fiber Gap,” because scientific evidence strongly suggests that dietary fiber consumption reduces the risk of major health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Dissecting the scientific evidence is critical because not all fibers offer the same benefits, nor do they work by the same mechanisms. It is important to understand the benefit being targeted and match it to the dietary fiber that can address that specific need. The 9^th Vahouny conference is focused on understanding these differences.

“We’re collaborating on the most advanced research with distinguished researchers around the world who are investigating different aspects of resistant starch’s mechanisms and health benefits,” said Dr. Finocchiaro. “The underlying metabolic systems positively impacted by Hi-maize resistant starch suggest that resistant starch may significantly impact major health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

Dr. Pelkman will present the outcome of a recent collaboration with Dr. Harvey Anderson at the University of Toronto, which showed that resistant starch content correlated with reduced food intake after two hours in healthy men.³ Dr. Bird will be presenting information on measuring resistant starch, the digestion of the slowly digestible portion of resistant starch,⁴ and the interactions of resistant starch with additional dietary components (e.g., protective, anti-cancer benefits of resistant starch in high-protein diets).⁵ Dr. Robertson will discuss her research confirming that Hi-maize resistant starch reduces food intake in healthy adults over 24 hours⁶ and improves insulin sensitivity in overweight individuals with insulin resistance.⁷ Dr. Keenan will discuss his research investigating metabolic mechanisms and their connection to satiety, weight management and glycemic health benefits in animal models. He has previously shown that dietary consumption of Hi-maize resistant starch resulted in significantly less body fat in animals. His recent work demonstrated increased production of satiety hormones over 24 hours in rats and mice,⁸ leading to additional changes in a neuropeptide involved in energy balance within the hypothalamus.⁹ Additional recent studies have confirmed that fermentation of resistant starch is critical for the fat-reduction benefits,¹⁰ and that butyrate, a product of resistant starch fermentation, is involved.¹¹

Hi-maize resistant starch resists digestion in the small intestine and behaves as a dietary fiber in the large intestine. Hi-maize resistant starch and whole grain corn flour are natural mixtures of slowly digestible starch and resistant starch isolated from high-amylose corn that trigger metabolic benefits through the entire length of the gastrointestinal tract. Over the past 20 years, more than 90 human clinical trials and more than 120 animal studies have been published on the health effects of natural resistant starch isolated from high-amylose corn. Both ingredients are ideal for formulating foods for weight management, glycemic management and digestive health.

About the Vahouny Fiber Symposium

Since the first Vahouny conference was held in 1981, this symposium has been a key meeting bringing together international experts examining the scientific evidence and the health effects of dietary fiber. In earlier years, the focus ranged from fiber’s impact on nutrient absorption, the prevention of cancer and cholesterol-lowering effects, among other topics. The Vahouny Fiber Symposium has previously been held in Australia, Scotland and Japan.

This year the Vahouny Fiber Symposium is particularly focusing on the various mechanisms by which different types of dietary fiber impact health. These mechanisms include (1) bulking, (2) viscosity or thickening of the contents of the intestinal tract and (3) fermentation within the large intestine. The 9^th Vahouny Fiber Symposium was organized by NutraSource Research and the American Society of Nutrition (ASN) and is being held from June 8–11, 2010, at the Marriott Hotel in North Bethesda, Md. National Starch is a sponsor of this event. Additional information can be found at http://www.nsresearch.org/symposium.html.

About National Starch Food Innovation

National Starch Food Innovation (Bridgewater, N.J.) is a leading global supplier of nature-based functional and nutritional ingredient solutions, including Hi-maize natural resistant starch, for the food and beverage industries. The company has a strong focus on delivering innovation to meet market and consumer trends in wholesome and natural, texture, nutrition, wellness, vitality and targeted delivery solutions. This vision, combined with an extensive, award-winning product range, market knowledge and technical expertise, makes National Starch Food Innovation a partner of choice for the next generation of food producers. For more information, visit www.foodinnovation.com.

To keep up with the ever-increasing wealth of research on the benefits of natural resistant starch, visit www.resistantstarch.com. For more information about Hi-maize and to request a sample, contact: National Starch Information Center, 181 Herrod Boulevard, Dayton, NJ 08810. Call 1-866-961-NATL (6285). Fax [phone]. Email [e-mail].

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¹ Dietary Guidelines for Americans, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Washington, DC: USDA; 2005.

² Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein and Amino Acids (Macronutrients), National Academies Press, (2005), Food and Nutrition Board (FNB), Institute of Medicine.

^{3 ”}“Relation between estimates of cornstarch digestibility by the Englyst in vitro method and glycemic response, subjective appetite, and short-term food intake in young men.” Authors: G. Harvey Anderson, Clara E. Cho, Tina Akhavan, Rebecca C. Mollard, Bohdan L. Luhovyy and E. Terry Finocchiaro. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010) 91(4):932–939.

⁴ “Changes in starch physical characteristics following digestion of foods in the human small intestine.” Authors: Zhongkai Zhou, David L. Topping, Matthew K. Morell and Anthony R. Bird. British Journal of Nutrition (2010) Apr 23:1–9. Epub ahead of print.

^{5 "}“Effects of dietary beef and chicken with and without high amylose maize starch on blood malondialdehyde, interleukins, IGF-1, insulin, leptin, MMP-2, and TIMP-2 concentrations in rats.” Authors: Shusuke Toden, Damien P. Belobrajdic, Anthony R. Bird, David L. Topping, and Michael A. Conlon. Nutrition and Cancer (May 2010) 62(4):454–465.

⁶ “Acute ingestion of resistant starch reduces food intake in healthy adults.” Authors: Caroline L. Bodinham, Gary S. Frost, and M. Denise Robertson. British Journal of Nutrition (Mar 2010) 103(6):917–922.

⁷ “Resistant starch improves insulin sensitivity in metabolic syndrome.” Authors: Kelly L. Johnson, E.L. Thomas, J.D. Bell, Gary S. Frost and M. Denise Robertson. Diabetic Medicine (2010) 27, 391–397.

⁸ “Dietary resistant starch up-regulates total GLP-1 and PYY in a sustained daylong manner through fermentation in rodents.” Authors: Jun Zhou, Roy J. Martin, Richard T. Tulley, Anne M. Raggio, Kathleen L. McCutcheon, Li Shen, Samuel C. Danna, Sasmita Tripathy, Maren Hegsted and Michael J. Keenan. American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism (2008) 295:1160–1166.

⁹ “Dietary resistant starch increases hypothalamic POMC expression in rats.” Authors: Li Shen, Michael J. Keenan, Roy J. Martin, Richard T. Tulley, Anne M. Raggio, Kathleen L. McCutcheon and Jun Zhou. Obesity (Jan 2009) 17(1):40–45.

¹⁰ “Failure to ferment dietary resistant starch in specific mouse models of obesity results in no body fat loss.” Authors: Jun Zhou, Roy J. Martin, Richard T. Tulley, Anne M. Raggio, Li Shen, Elizabeth Lissy, Kathleen McCutcheon and Michael J. Keenan. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2009) 57 (19):8844–8851.

¹¹ “Combining resistant starch and sodium butyrate for reducing body fat in rats.” Authors: Kirk Vidrine, Michael J. Keenan, Roy J. Martin, Zhangua Gao, John Finley, Kathleen L. McCutcheon, Anne M. Raggio, Richard T. Tulley, Frank Greenway, Jun Zhou and Jianping Ye. FASEB Journal (2010) 24:95.5.