Resistant potato starch shows prebiotic effects in recent clinical trial

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A recent three-arm, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial¹ found that a resistant potato starch, called Solnul, produces a prebiotic effect. In the study, 75 subjects received either placebo, 3.5 g per day of Solnul, or 7 g per day of Solnul for four weeks. Results showed that subjects taking 3.5 g of the resistant potato starch experienced significantly greater changes in Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia, compared to placebo, after four weeks. Subjects in this group also has significantly fewer diarrhea- and constipation-associated bowel movements, compared to placebo.

Similar results were observed among subjects taking 7 g per day, but only experienced statistically significant improvements in diarrhea-associated bowel movement scores. While experiencing an increase in the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium, the average increase was 33% for the 7 g per day group compared to the 3.5 g per day group. This was the case for Akkermansia as well. The researchers believe that the subjects’ diets may have contributed to this discrepancy, which was not controlled for.

The study was conducted by Nutrasource (Guelph, Ontario, Canada). Solnul is manufactured by MPS Starch Products Inc. (Carberry, Manitoba, Canada).

Reference

Bush, J.R.; Baisley, J.; Harding, S.V.; Alfa, M.J. Consumption of Solnul™ Resistant Potato Starch Produces a Prebiotic Effect in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2023, 15(7): 1582. DOI: 10.3390/nu15071582