Diet, Nutrition and Obesity

Type-2 diabetes and related health problems, including obesity are results of over consumption of sugar and rapidly digestible starch. After ingesting foods of high-glycemic index, such as breakfast cereal and bread, the blood glucose level of the individual increases quickly and reaches a peak in 30 min, resulting in a hyper-glycemic state. Insulin secreted with the increase in the blood glucose level triggers the absorption of glucose from the blood stream and causes a hypo-glycemic response, repeating of these processes results in insulin resistance and the type-2 diabetes. Methods to prevent the type-2 diabetes are to reduce the intake of rapidly digestible carbohydrates, replace rapidly digestible starch with resistant and slowly digestible starch and increase vegetable and dietary fiber portion in the diet. There are five types of resistant starch, i.e. physically inaccessible starch, the B-type crystalline starch, retrograded amylose, chemically modified starch and the amylose-lipid complex. This presentation includes structures and properties of diff erent types of resistant starch, approaches available to facilitate the formation and increase the contents of resistant and slowly digestible starch by selecting ingredients and proper cooking methods and effects of ingesting resistant starch on levels of blood glucose and insulin secretion comparing with the normal starch as control. Different types of resistant starch have also shown characteristic impacts to microbiota developments in the gut and infl uence animal behavior. Resistant and slowly digestible starch has demonstrated health benefits. Therefore, it is important to select healthy starchy foods and proper processing methods to preserve and increase resistant starch contents in the diet.