Abstract
There has been increasing reports concerning relationship between starch intake and bowel health. According to recent evidences, resistant starch(RS), a fraction of starch that survive digestion in the small intestine and reach large bowel, plays major roles in the health-promoting action of starch. In this review, we will describe some important physiological effects of RS including its historical background, formation and existence in food and functions in the large intestine. RS increased fecal mass, fecal water-holding capacity and cecal fermentation but decreased gastrointestinal transit time. Involvement of RS in lipid metabolism was also discussed. RS reduces glycemic index and improves glucose tolerance in rats. RS improves mineral availability through increased absorption in the large intestine. Some effects of RS on large intestinal defects were ascribed to fermentation products, short-chain fatty acids.
