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.

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.

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.

“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…