Health properties of resistant starch

Summary Resistant starch (RS) refers to the portion of starch and starch products that resist digestion as they pass through the gastrointestinal tract. RS is an extremely broad and diverse range of materials and a number of different types exist (RS1–4). At present, these are mostly defined according to physical and chemical characteristics. RS may be categorised as a type of dietary fibre, as defined by the American Association of Cereal Chemists and the Food Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. RS is measured in part by the methodology recommended by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists for measuring dietary fibre. Dietary intakes of RS in westernised countries…