Comparative study of the acute effects of resistant starch and dietary fibers on metabolic indexes in men.

The effect of ingestion of the same amount (30 g) of a resistant starch (lintner) and cellulose on energy expenditure (EE), colonic fermentation (breath-hydrogen test), and blood glucose, insulin, and free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations were compared in seven healthy volunteers in a first experiment. In a second experiment the same indexes were measured in six healthy volunteers after the ingestion of diets composed of 50 g glucose alone or mixed with 30 g lintner, or cellulose, or pectin. In the first experiment no differences between lintner and cellulose were observed on the measured indexes. The notable difference was the increased apparent colonic fermentation with lintner after 6 h. In experiment 2, although insulin response was significantly lower in the pectin-added diet, the results obtained with the four different diets were not significantly different. The metabolic characteristics of lintner were closer to cellulose than to pectin. In conclusion, the acute effect of the ingestion of a resistant starch (lintner) on the measured metabolic indexes is similar to that of a known insoluble fiber--cellulose.