Spuds May Be The Secret To A Healthy Gut, Especially If You Eat Them This Way

Love spuds? Well, researchers behind a 2023 study have given you a science-backed reason to adore them even more.The research found that when consumed daily, 3.5g of resistant potato starch worked as a probiotic, appeared to reduce gut-irritating histamines, and even could help with leaky gut (woah).Resistant starch is starch that your body cannot digest.It’s more plentiful in cold potatoes (and pasta) than hot ones, and has been linked to better blood sugar management and gut health.How did the study work?In this study, participants ranged in age from 18 to 69. They were divided into three groups, and were either given 7g or 3.5g of potato starch or a placebo to take for four weeks.The placebos and starches were randomly assigned.After four weeks, researchers compared the participants’ bowel movements and overall gut health with those at the start of the study. They also looked at the participants’ histamine levels. All participants were told to maintain the same dietary and activity habits they normally had throughout the study.So, what did they find?Researchers found that the group that consumed 3.5g of potato starch daily “demonstrated significantly higher increases in the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium compared to the placebo arm”.Bifidobacterium is a beneficial group of bacteria also known as probiotics.The 3.5g group also saw a rise in beneficial Akkermansia bacteria. This degrades harmful mucin in the gut and is also a probiotic.The bowel movements of those who took 3.5g of the potato starch daily tended towards the healthier end of the Bristol stool chart when compared to the placebo group (lovely).Interestingly, the 7g group did see boosts in beneficial bacteria, but “while the relative abundance of bifidobacterium increased in response to 7 g of RPS, the average increase was approximately 33% lower than what was observed in the 3.5g arm.“Curiously, this was also the case for Akkermansia.” Researchers think that external factors, like the participants’ diet, could have played a role in the outcome.Why might potatoes be good for your gut?“RPS [resistant potato starch] significantly increased Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia levels and decreased diarrhoea- and constipation-associated bowel movements compared to the placebo, meeting the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus criteria for the definition of a prebiotic,” the researchers concluded.But the scientists admitted “There are limitations to this study, including the short duration” – such as the short study period and small sample size. Still, experts say that eating more resistant starch (like that in cold potatoes) is a great way to make your starches far healthier for your gut and blood sugar levels. More reason than ever to devour my beloved Spanish potato salad...Related...I've Been Living Off This Spanish Potato Salad For Days In The HeatwaveI Love 'Fibremaxxing' – But Does A Dietitian Think It's A Good Idea?These Overnight Chia Oats Contain Half Your Daily Fibre And Taste Like Chocolate Pudding

Comments

Breaking news

Spuds May Be The Secret To A Healthy Gut, Especially If You Eat Them This Way

Huffpost uk

Comments

Similar News

The Healthiest (And Unhealthiest) Ways To Serve Spuds, According To Science

You say tomato, I say potato: Researchers finally solve the mystery origins of the humble spud

Breaking news

Spuds May Be The Secret To A Healthy Gut, Especially If You Eat Them This Way

We Found The Best Transitional Clothes On Offer, But Hurry: They've Sold Out Before

Inside Putin’s £400,000,000 ‘doomsday’ plane built to withstand a nuclear blast

A hidden 620 mile crack beneath North America could trigger massive earthquake

UK and US publishers say Google AI is harming website traffic

Reeves insists she will focus on boosting collapsing productivity in Budget after GDP figures… but talk is cheap

Global First! DEEP Robotics Robot Dogs Go Deep into Hoh Xil to Collaborate in Protecting Tibetan Antelopes

Conor McGregor breaks silence on UFC ‘REMOVAL’ to confirm major career decision as Dana White makes x-rated statement

Hiker who died after being bitten by venomous snake in Tennessee made fatal mistake, officials believe

DC sues Trump over ‘hostile takeover’ of city’s police

Jewellery retailer to raise prices amid falling sales

Mountain Warehouse to open new stores after revenues jump

Former Afghan interpreter exposed in huge MoD data breach has UK relocation revoked

With ‘CBS Mornings’ ratings continuing to shrink, could Gayle King be in trouble?

Far-right Israeli minister confronts long-imprisoned Palestinian leader face to face

Macron condemns ‘antisemitic hatred’ after attackers chop down tree honoring murdered Jew

Patients warned not to turn to fake weight loss jabs after UK Mounjaro price hike

Shooting at mosque in Sweden leaves 2 wounded, police say

Munich 1938 tells us Trump must not give anything away at Putin summit

Australian and Philippine forces launch largest military exercises near disputed South China Sea

Babysitter who provided young girls to her boyfriend for sexual assault sentenced to 100 years in prison

Solar panels that fit on your balcony or deck are gaining traction in the US

New lawsuit challenges Trump's federal takeover of DC police department as crackdown intensifies

easyJet, British Airways, Wizz Air and other passengers warned over severe delays in Spain

RAF jets scrambled to plane flying over London as 'sonic boom' heard

Second man appears in court charged with murder of 'popular' man in Aberdeen

Stirling's The PEAK leisure centre set for major gym expansion and new studios

Scotland’s only female basketball pundit is PE teacher aiming for the Olympics

'Sophisticated' fake parking ticket trick that 'empties bank accounts'

"Merciless" puppy torturer jailed after attacking dog with iron and bottle

Former Motherwell & District Women's Aid Centre put up for sale by North Lanarkshire Council

Cash machine campaigners claim victory as Bridge of Allan service confirmed

Israel releases video showing public humiliation of prominent Palestinian prisoner

Why African campaign groups want the traditional world map scrapped

Funeral procession for world's longest-serving KFC worker will pass chicken shop

'We've been delayed 4 hours after easyJet plane collision - and only given £3 voucher'

NHS tells parents to look out for five symptoms in kids this week

Sonic boom UK: Exact moment RAF Typhoon jets track down plane flying over London

Son of Afghan man named in data breach says family face death or deportation

Ibiza Final Boss Jack Kay asks 'what just happened?' after Bonnie Blue bombshell

Sweden mosque shooting LIVE: Gunfire erupts as 'explosions' heard at Friday prayers

Keep your towels luxuriously soft and fluffy with expert's seven simple steps

Boden's 'beautiful' ballet flats are a 'total power shoe' and now have £67 off

Foreign Office issues important 'itinerary' alert to anyone travelling solo

The day the sky burned: Apocalyptic scenes as European wildfires bathe countryside sickly orange, with blazes ravaging Portugal, Spain and Greece

Shoplifting should be known as 'shop theft' to avoid trivialising the crime, ministers agree as offending soars by a fifth in one year

Brit holidaymaker escapes 'curse' of Pompeii after getting caught stealing historic artefacts

Mutiny at JD Vance's dinner date: Woke staff at Cotswolds gastro-pub threatened to walk out if US vice president attended - prompting a hasty venue switch

They had one of the most famous love stories of the '90s and have just reunited... can you guess the former on-screen couple?

Babysitter weeps as she's given enormous sentence for delivering disabled children to pedophile boyfriend so he could rape them

The 'lost' Vera Lynn tracks you've never heard: WWII Forces' Sweetheart's audition recordings to be released 90 years on

Boy, 16, arrested on suspicion of rape and murder over death of 13-year-old girl and the rape of a 16-year-old girl is released on bail

Close call! Moment out-of-control jet ski nearly mows down beachgoers on Costa del Sol beach

I made £590 on Vinted in one day by selling my old clothes with the help of ChatGPT

Strictly's Dani Dyer and Ellie Goldstein lead the celebrities arriving at rehearsals for the first time since full line-up was announced as Thomas Skinner hits back at 'woke' critics

Gyles Brandreth breaks down in tears live on This Morning as he shares devastating family bereavements - while Emma Willis rushes to comfort him

Defence Secretary says Britain is ready to put 'boots on the ground' as part of a Ukraine ceasefire deal ahead of Trump-Putin talks - but refuses to say what happens if they're attacked

I'm an etiquette expert and here are the mistakes you're making on holiday that make you look common and like a 'low class guest'

Princess Andre breaks her silence on her parents' bitter feud after Peter made bombshell claims about Katie Price's 'baseless lies'

Instant karma for British biker who blocks ambulance driver on emergency call in Thailand and flips driver the middle finger... then regrets taking his eye off the road