Ingestion of resistant starch protects endotoxin influx from the intestinal tract and reduces D-galactosamine-induced liver injury in rats (RS good?)

[BleuCheese]

Abstract (click here for study) ​

Background and aims: The aim of the present study was to examine the protective effect of a dietary high-amylose cornstarch (HAS) against D-galactosamine (D-GalN)-induced liver injury, focusing specifically on intestinal endotoxin translocation.

Methods: Male Wistar rats fed a HAS-free basal diet or a 30% HAS-supplemented diet were injected intraperitoneally with D-GalN. Serum transaminase activities, serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and portal venous endotoxin concentrations were determined at various time points. Ileal mucosal proliferation, small intestinal immunoglobulin (Ig)A and mucin, and the size of the cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) pool were also determined.

Results: High-amylose cornstarch ingestion significantly reduced the increase in serum transaminase activities at 22 h after the injection of D-GalN. Rats fed the HAS diet showed a greater cecal SCFA production as measured by pool size than those fed the basal diet. Luminal IgA and mucin content were significantly greater in rats fed the HAS diet. Protein, DNA and RNA contents in the ileal mucosa were also higher in rats fed the 30% HAS diet. In a further experiment, portal venous endotoxin concentrations in rats fed the basal diet reached 72 ng/L at 4 h after D-GalN administration, but endotoxin was not detected in rats fed the HAS diet. At this time, portal endotoxin concentrations were significantly and positively correlated with the serum concentrations of TNF-alpha and serum alanine aminotransferase activities.

Conclusion: These data support the view that HAS ingestion may reduce D-GalN-induced liver injury as a result of an inhibitory effect on endotoxin influx from the intestinal tract, at least in part as a result of alterations in the mucosal barrier functions.



This study was posted but wasn't discussed in any meaningful way. I see it this way, if resistant starch is capable of providing energy substrate for bacteria that produce butyrate for the colonocytes, and energy is, as Ray Peat describes, the primary way in which an organism maintains its structure, then RS might have a reinforcing effect on the digestive tract by providing immediately useable energy substrate, aka butyrate.

Except I suppose in situations of dysbiosis when RS could be used by bad bacteria/ infections.


This review article says "Butyrate is a primary energy source for colonocytes and also maintains intestinal homeostasis through anti-inflammatory actions (17, 18). At the cellular level, SCFAs can have direct or indirect effects on processes such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and gene expression. They may be absorbed by passive diffusion, but uptake by intestinal epithelial cells is greatly enhanced by dedicated transporters, e.g., the monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1; encoded by SLC16A1) and the sodium-coupled monocarboxylate transporter 1 (SMCT1; encoded by SLC5A8). Moreover, SCFAs act as ligands for G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), including GPR109A, GPR43, and GPR41, thereby activating anti-inflammatory signaling cascades (5, 19–24). Importantly, IBD patients not only show reduced levels of dominant SCFAs-producing bacteria (like Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Roseburia intestinalis) in intestinal mucosa and feces, but the actual steady state levels of SCFAs herein also appear to be lower compared to healthy controls (25–29)."

So essentially, IBD patients are lacking bacteria capable of producing readily available local energy for the digestive tract, which gives the intestines the energy needed to reinforce their structure, and maintain proper functioning. It makes sense really.

Just a shitty hypothesis I whipped up in 30 seconds, because RS is doing something amazing for me right now. Lmk what you guys think.

 

[Lonewolfx]

What resistant starch are you taking (and dosing)... and what are the "amazing" benefits?

I bought a bunch of potato starch years ago to do the RS thing but didn't notice any effect.

 

[Perry Staltic]

Butyrate also promotes tight junction proteins between colonocytes and moderates mucosal barrier thickness, which both help prevent gut leakage.

 

[BleuCheese]

What resistant starch are you taking (and dosing)... and what are the "amazing" benefits?

I bought a bunch of potato starch years ago to do the RS thing but didn't notice any effect.

Potato starch. Only 2 tbsp twice a day so far. I should be more verbose, I just notice I have a clearer head and feel "lighter". Like I feel normally quite heavy in the stomach and bloated, unless I eat strictly meat only. Its pretty similar to the effect that activated charcoal has on me surprisingly enough. I feel less resistance to move or start things, and sentences in my head are more chained together and clearer.

I also feel quite a bit warmer, especially in the first hour or so after ingestion. However, I'm a bit dehydrated and noticing I'm drinking more water, which, again, feels similar to what happens to me when taking charcoal.

I'm excited because this seems to be having more of a reconstituting effect as opposed to a purely suppressive effect in the case of charcoal. It's only been a few days, so ill be sure to update if the well starts to dry up. I've messed with potato starch before, but I don't recall taking it for more than a day because it grossed me out when I bought it.

 

[Lonewolfx]

Interesting, maybe I'll give it a shot again. I had written it off as I got the sense on here it was looked down upon.

But to clarify...

You're having 2 tbsp twice a day for 4 tbsp total?

When are you having it? On an empty stomach? Between meals? First thing in the morning?

Thanks!

 

[BleuCheese]

Interesting, maybe I'll give it a shot again. I had written it off as I got the sense on here it was looked down upon.

But to clarify...

You're having 2 tbsp twice a day for 4 tbsp total?

When are you having it? On an empty stomach? Between meals? First thing in the morning?

Thanks!

I'm mixing it in my oatmeal and milk, only 2tbsp total per day total so far. I'll probably bump it up and see what happens.

Me too. I'm not sure how to feel about the microbiome / low bacteria stuff. Despite eating easily digested foods I have yet to make serious long-term gains in terms of my digestion, so I'm giving the whole "support the right microbes" idea a second pass.

I'll try to update this thread with my honest assessment in a few weeks.

 

[BleuCheese]

Interesting, maybe I'll give it a shot again. I had written it off as I got the sense on here it was looked down upon.

But to clarify...

You're having 2 tbsp twice a day for 4 tbsp total?

When are you having it? On an empty stomach? Between meals? First thing in the morning?

Thanks!

Oh, and 1tbsp in the morning, another in the afternoon.

 

[TheSir]

I recall that @Twohandsondeck was megadosing potato starch for the ultimate benefit of drastically improved gut health at one point. Perhaps he will share a thought or two.

 

[Lonewolfx]

Wait... if you're putting it in oatmeal (assuming it's hot)... doesn't heating resistant starch reduce the amount of resistant starch?

Or am I remembering that wrong?

 

[BleuCheese]

I recall that @Twohandsondeck was megadosing potato starch for the ultimate benefit of drastically improved gut health at one point. Perhaps he will share a thought or two.

That'd be great @Twohandsondeck

 

[BleuCheese]

Wait... if you're putting it in oatmeal (assuming it's hot)... doesn't heating resistant starch reduce the amount of resistant starch?

Or am I remembering that wrong?

Its cold, but once the resistant starch is formed after cooling the food can be reheated, if I recall correctly.

 

[Twohandsondeck]

I recall that @Twohandsondeck was megadosing potato starch for the ultimate benefit of drastically improved gut health at one point. Perhaps he will share a thought or two.

Yeah! Nice memory, poke appreciated.

So essentially, IBD patients are lacking bacteria capable of producing readily available local energy for the digestive tract, which gives the intestines the energy needed to reinforce their structure, and maintain proper functioning. It makes sense really.

Just a shitty hypothesis I whipped up in 30 seconds, because RS is doing something amazing for me right now.

Sounds plausible, cool study reference.

I'm excited because this seems to be having more of a reconstituting effect as opposed to a purely suppressive effect in the case of charcoal.

I can attest to that. On average, charcoal would suppress endotoxin symptoms beautifully for 1 day out of every 3 weeks and if I took it for 2 or 3 days in a row, constipation and an even worse endotoxin response would follow for a few days after that.

With the potato starch there's something immediately therapeutic about it, like chaos is being quelled and it translates to less food sensitivity/tighter blood sugar regulation for days after supplementation.

To be as short as possible about my experience with potato starch:

I spent the better part of 2 weeks taking anywhere from 3-9 tablespoons of raw potato starch with milk on a daily basis. These two things accounted for at least 90% of my calories at that time. The other 10% was brown rice, celery, carrots, etc.

There came a point where the therapeutic effects were starting to backfire in the way of bloating, so I cut out the starch but kept the milk.

A week goes by. I was then having strong fatigue upon milk consumption in particular... eventually came to the realization that I was zinc deficient.

Another week goes by and I determine that I'm experiencing basically every symptom that is named in TCM for 'excess dampness.' I then spend a week eating as much 'damp clearing foods' as possible for lunch and dinner. This is basically a vegetable soup of like brown rice, celery, carrot, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, etc etc.

I again immediately feel much better after forcing all of these well cooked soups down... and somewhere around the 1 week mark of the soup megadosing, I get fetal-position sick out of nowhere, like a 4 hour transition from being a contributing member of society to a bundle of socks stuck to the floor. I thought it was food poisoning at first, but since I was able to prevent myself from throwing up, I later ruled it out. I've had food poisoning before... And this was definitely something else.

I fight the urge to lose the attic for about 16 hours. In and out of sleep, fever comes, fever breaks, fever comes, fever breaks. Large loss of sweat, definitely dehydrated... but even sipping water was awfully difficult.

I finally muster the courage to make it to the bathroom - really feeling like death at this point - urinate what almost looks like blood, continuing to hold the roof together, and then finally the basement fell out with whatever the problem was and I felt about 10 times better instantaneously. Took a small bit of acerola cherry powder with a cup of water, slept comfortably for 3 hours and I was back to 80% functionality upon rising.

I tell the story to now say that I strongly speculate that the bowel cleansing that I underwent could have well been an accumulation of unpassed raw potato starch from weeks previous which was jostled to evacuate.

I haven't used any raw starches in several months now... instead I've spent the time playing with B vitamins, green clay, shilajit, methylene blue, vitamin E, and nuts.

However, I'm not afraid of the starch despite the aforementioned experience. To the contrary, in a few days time when I'm back home, I'm going to revisit probiotics in conjunction with prebiotics, raw potato starch being one of them.

As usual, the general advice which becomes relevant is that: pressing any button too hard and too frequently can lead to consequences, but it's the dose that makes the poison.

The only thing I would suggest is to ensure that peristalsis and routine bowel movements are taking place while dosing with raw starches. Anything that has a dehydrating effect is, by nature, constipating, so counterbalancing measures ought to be taken in regular fashion... whether that's drinking water, eating fruit, salt, magnesium, cascara, vegetable broth, suppositories, gentle enemas, or what-have-you.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

How do you make / obtain potato starch?

 

[Twohandsondeck]

How do you make / obtain potato starch?

In the States we have it in bags. Sometimes it's sold next to the flour and baking powder. Looks like this:

Amazon product ASIN B078TNZKTJView: https://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Potato-22-ounce/dp/B078TNZKTJ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=13T9JCK3P4TUF&keywords=bob%27s+potato+starch&qid=1648555586&sprefix=Bob%27s+potato+%2Caps%2C366&sr=8-3

 

[BigYellowLemon]

The starch could literally be acting as a dry binder and thus is just like charcoal but probably better tolerated by your intestinal walls.

But when it is eventually fermented then who knows what.

 

[One-trick Tony]

I'm mixing it in my oatmeal and milk, only 2tbsp total per day total so far. I'll probably bump it up and see what happens.

Me too. I'm not sure how to feel about the microbiome / low bacteria stuff. Despite eating easily digested foods I have yet to make serious long-term gains in terms of my digestion, so I'm giving the whole "support the right microbes" idea a second pass.

I'll try to update this thread with my honest assessment in a few weeks.

So how did it go, did you get singing thoughts after Twohandsondeck's little take?

As for myself I've just recently got my eyes on Clostridium butyricum, speaking of butyrate producing bacteria. It's big in Japan (...!) and I think it seems like a promising thing worthy of trying. I'll try to get some from eBay, from Japan, and hope the bastards at the Swedish customs don't get their filthy fingers between me and my right to experiment - on myself!

 

[BleuCheese]

So how did it go, did you get singing thoughts after Twohandsondeck's little take?

As for myself I've just recently got my eyes on Clostridium butyricum, speaking of butyrate producing bacteria. It's big in Japan (...!) and I think it seems like a promising thing worthy of trying. I'll try to get some from eBay, from Japan, and hope the bastards at the Swedish customs don't get their filthy fingers between me and my right to experiment - on myself!

Wow totally forgot about this thread sorry haha. Well that little part of me that doesn't like taking isolated things pushed me toward getting RS from food like potatoes and oats. Now I eat 2 cups of oats per day (I can't quite feel good on potatoes, they're too satiating), some well-cooked vegetables, and whole fruit.

I'll give my intuitive sense of what is going on, and a pro/con list of increasing my fiber/RS intake.

My intuitive sense is that my gut mucosal layer has severely deteriorated as inspired by reading this study; A dietary fiber-deprived gut microbiota degrades the colonic mucus barrier and enhances pathogen susceptibility

Trying to think intuitively and rationally has led me to believe that to fix the problem, I will need to "rub salt in the wound" (eat fiber) to reconstitute my microbiome, increase SCFA, and allow my mucosal layer to heal. After a couple of months, I can't quite say if this is what is happening or if I've just moderately changed my dysbiotic microbiome and/or improved endotoxin clearance.

Nonetheless, my tentative pros and cons

Pros
- Similar to @Twohandsondeck (greatly appreciate your input btw), my acne is all but gone. I wasn't paying attention too close but just recently I was like "Wow, my face is surprisingly smooth". Redness is definitely reduced, and new acne is more a once or twice a week thing rather than every day all over. Cystic acne is greatly reduced.
- I have more energy. I, for instance, struggle to maintain an exercise regiment. Since I started eating two cups of oats per day, I find it way easier to exercise every day. Still feel like ***t often, but definitely an improvement. Have never exercised this consistently before.
- Sort of a vague sense that I am improving, just generally feel a bit more creative and relaxed than normal.
- Tend to fall asleep way faster
- More regular, sometimes going 3-4 times a day which is genuinely exciting (lmfao)

Cons
- My gut feels generally a bit irritated and distended. I feel like I traded constantly ***t digestion for highly fluctuating good to bad digestion.
- Weird dizziness spells, which I am going to get scoped at the gastro for. Have experienced these before eating the carrot salad. Possibly my (potentially fibrotic and definitely inflamed) intestines having to work harder to move the fiber? Not sure.

Overall happy with where things are going and will continue. Sensing nonlinear improvement.

I should mention that Aspirin and coffee have been pivotal for me. When im in the bad digestion pit, they really help to get my gut moving and make me feel better.

Sorry if this was long and rambly, I was hoping this would be a more coordinated experiment but I'm still trying to contextualize what is happening. Between not being breastfed and eating a ***t diet during my childhood, I think my microbiome is just FUBAR and I am getting more interested in doing a FMT.

I will update when after my gastro appointment results.

 

[One-trick Tony]

Hey, thanks for a great update and happy to hear about your improvements. :)
And just for the record, my "singing thoughts" earlier was meant to be "second thoughts" (was writing on my phone and didn't catch that one).
I also still have some acne in my mid 40's so I'm glad to hear the resistant starch or whatever is helping. Certainly I've suspected the whole digestive system for some time, including the liver. I might try adding in some oats too, so do you cook it and then let it cool for a few hours to raise back up the amount of RS or...?
I still think you should look into Clostridium butyricum, some really rave about it and it can supposedly help to heal the gut lining as well as produce some of that nice butyrate. I'm still waiting for my shipment from Japan and will certainly update on the forum what my experiences might be. :)

 

[BleuCheese]

Hey, thanks for a great update and happy to hear about your improvements. :)
And just for the record, my "singing thoughts" earlier was meant to be "second thoughts" (was writing on my phone and didn't catch that one).
I also still have some acne in my mid 40's so I'm glad to hear the resistant starch or whatever is helping. Certainly I've suspected the whole digestive system for some time, including the liver. I might try adding in some oats too, so do you cook it and then let it cool for a few hours to raise back up the amount of RS or...?
I still think you should look into Clostridium butyricum, some really rave about it and it can supposedly help to heal the gut lining as well as produce some of that nice butyrate. I'm still waiting for my shipment from Japan and will certainly update on the forum what my experiences might be. :)

Thanks for the kind words Tony. I have done the cook and cool stuff with rice in the past but I just soak them in half milk half water, and drain off the excess water (Ideally to get rid of some of the nasties). They're called "overnight oats" but you can soak them for about 2 hours and they're ready to eat. Just quick since I don't like to spend time cooking stuff.

I'll take a look at that strain. I had some success with the Megasporebiotic stuff that Danny Roddy has talked about, but I haven't looked into specific strains much.

Definitely be sure to post your experience.

 

[Ritchie]

When I’m eating starches like potatoes, rice, oats my digestion is far far better than when I’ve gone for periods of cutting it out. I also feel calmer, stronger with more explosive energy and sleep way better among other positive noticeable effects.

Humans have evolved so specifically to eat starch that our saliva contains amylase, which is an enzyme explicitly present to catalyse the hydrolysis of starch into sugars. So our saliva begins the process of the digestion and conversion of starch into energy before it’s even swallowed. You can’t get a better indicator of an excellent form of human nutrition than that.

I’ve always thought the anti starch sentiment in the Peat circles to be very misguided. Except of course for the seriously digestive impaired (probably a tiny tiny percent of the population) who specifically struggle with starch. My guess is that is a minute amount, even on this forum. I will caveat that by saying that I think the gluten protein can be a problem, and tend to avoid it where I can.