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Are you trying to improve your health this January? Don’t clean your pantry yet.
Experts have revealed there may be a secret wellness hero lurking on your shelves – as long as you prepare it properly.
With one simple step, carbohydrates, long vilified as the root of all health-related ills, could become the key to preventing cancer and helping you lose weight.
The best part? It doesn’t cost anything.
Researchers say simply reheating cooked pasta, rice and potatoes can turn them into a nutritional miracle drug.
Known as resistant starch, this natural compound has been shown in a surprising recent study to reduce the risk of some cancers by more than 60 percent.
And you can reap its benefits at home by simply eating leftovers.
Dr Fred Warren, resistant starch expert and research leader at the Quadram Institute in Norwich, says: “When you let starchy foods (whether bread, rice or pasta) cool before eating them, the way they that we digest them changes.
‘Research has shown that they are better for us in a number of ways: from lowering blood sugar and reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes to relieving intestinal inflammation.
“And more recent studies have provided fairly compelling evidence that resistant starches may even prevent cancer, especially of the colon and digestive system.”
Simply Reheating Cooked Pasta Could Turn It into a Miracle Nutritional Drug
So what are resistant starches?
Starch is the most common carbohydrate in our diet (found in bread, grains, cereals and some beans) and is essentially made up of a chain of sugar molecules linked together.
Raw starchy foods, such as raw potatoes or rice, have a very ordered structure, making them difficult to digest.
However, when they are cooked, this rigid chain weakens, making it easier for the intestine to break them down.
The sugar from these cooked starches is absorbed into the bloodstream almost as quickly as a soft drink, causing a spike in blood sugar.
This is why carbohydrates have such a bad reputation, as this brief rise and fall in blood sugar levels makes one feel hungry faster and can cause overeating and weight gain.
But when cooled, starchy foods regain their rigid molecular structure, making it harder for the body to break them down and turning them into resistant starches.
In fact, experts say these resistant starches are more like fiber, a crucial nutrient, than carbohydrates.
Fiber is crucial for a healthy bowel movement and is also more filling, meaning people on a high-fiber diet consume fewer calories. The UK is also experiencing a fiber shortage crisis, with around nine in ten people not getting enough of the nutrient, according to research.
Study shows resistant starch in boiled potatoes nearly doubles once they cool
So despite not looking, smelling, or tasting any different, leftover rice or baked potatoes contain more resistant starch than when they’re freshly cooked, even after just one night in the refrigerator.
The amount of resistant starch in foods varies depending on how they are made, prepared, and cooked, as well as whether they are reheated.
According to a 2013 American study, regular boiled potatoes contain 2.4 grams of resistant starch per 100 grams, but once cooled, it almost doubles to 4.3 grams.
And you don’t have to eat them cold to retain the health benefits; Some research suggests that when chilled starchy foods are reheated, it actually creates more resistant starch.
Even toasting frozen bread will work.
Research suggests that resistant starch also stimulates the gut microbiome, the trillions of bacteria that live in the stomach and are thought to support digestion, the immune system, and even heart health.
Unlike normal starch, which is easily digested in the small intestine, resistant starch passes directly to the large intestine, where it ferments, providing fuel for the trillions of bacteria that live there.
But how can cold pasta prevent cancer?
Scientists believe that resistant starch can stop cancer from developing by reducing the amount of acid in the intestines. This acid is usually used to break down hard-to-digest foods and is then eliminated from the body.
However, people who follow low-fiber diets have greater amounts of this acid in the intestine because it is not used. These higher than usual acid levels can damage the stomach lining and, over time, lead to cancer.
Leftover rice, researchers say, may contain more resistant starch than when it’s freshly cooked
Dr. Warren says, “Not consuming enough fiber (including resistant starch) increases the risk of developing colon cancer because these cells that line the intestine and colon have no energy source and become stressed.”
‘This is a big problem in the UK because we don’t eat enough fibre. But eating foods high in resistant starch helps keep the cells lining the intestine and colon healthy and less likely to become cancerous.’
Studies have confirmed the phenomenon.
A recent trial looked at the impact of resistant starch in more than 900 people with Lynch syndrome, a genetic condition that increases the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
Researchers from the universities of Newcastle and Leeds divided participants into two groups: one that took 30 grams of a resistant starch supplement daily and another that took a placebo.
After 20 years, they found that those who regularly consumed resistant starch were half as likely to develop cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract as those who did not consume it.
However, it does not take two decades to build protection.
The trial found that just two years of regular consumption of resistant starch could reduce the risk of cancer and may protect you for up to ten years after stopping it.
Dr. Warren explains that there is still much to discover about how exactly this compound prevents cancer and how many cancers it might protect against.
But in the meantime, it’s a safe bet to increase your own dose of this wonderful substance by keeping pasta and potatoes in the refrigerator for a few hours before eating them.
Or, for those cutting back on simple carbohydrates, look to beans, which are excellent sources of resistant starch, or brown rice.
Dr. Warren adds, “The broader the range of foods you eat that contain resistant starch, the better.” And the more you eat, the better it will be for your health.’