Resistant starch gut microbiome

The gastrointestinal (GI) impact of resistant starch consumption depends on microbiomes, adherence, and various types and amounts of resistant starch. A randomized clinical trial with smart cap monitoring was used to evaluate the GI impact of a novel resistant starch blend (RSB) at varying doses. The study design randomized participants to a potato starch as a control or one of three arms ramping doses from 10 to 30 g /day over 6 weeks of RSB, a proprietary mixture of a different potato starch, green banana flour and apple fiber powder. The blend contained at least 50% resistant starch. Total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) increased with increasing doses of the RSB. GI symptoms improved in all groups, and the increasing doses of RSB led to a decrease in the diarrhea score. Using an estimate of total consumption of RSB based on smart cap recordings of container openings and protocol-specified doses, we showed that a reduction in the sleep disturbance score was associated with higher RSB dose. The microbiome evaluation demonstrated that among the 16S sequences most associated with the consumption of the novel blend RSB, two belong to taxa of notable interest to human health: Faecalibacterium and Akkermansia.