A new study has found that a type of starch called resistant starch may help people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) improve their liver health.
This condition affects about 30% of people around the world and can lead to serious problems like liver damage, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
The study was led by Huating Li at Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital and was published in the journal Cell Metabolism. It lasted four months and included 200 people with NAFLD.
The participants were split into two groups. One group was given a special type of starch called resistant starch, made from maize (a kind of corn). The other group received regular corn starch that had the same number of calories but was not resistant starch.
Everyone in the study took 20 grams of starch mixed with water twice a day, before meals. After four months, the group that took resistant starch had much better results. Their liver fat (measured by liver triglyceride levels) was nearly 40% lower than in the control group.
They also had lower levels of liver enzymes and inflammation, which are both signs of liver stress. These improvements happened even for people who didn’t lose much weight.
The researchers also looked at the gut bacteria in the participants by studying their stool samples. They found that the people who took resistant starch had changes in their gut bacteria, including a drop in a type of bacteria called Bacteroides stercoris. This type of bacteria is known to affect how fat is used in the liver.
These findings are exciting because they show that resistant starch could be an easy, affordable, and natural way to help treat fatty liver disease. Dr. Huating Li said that it’s much easier for people to take resistant starch than to stick to hard exercise routines or strict diets.
The study also shows how important gut bacteria may be in treating liver disease. The researchers plan to do more studies to learn how resistant starch works and how it might be used in future treatments.
This research adds to other studies that show how diet can affect liver health. For example, an anti-inflammatory diet or drinking coffee may help reduce the risk of liver problems. Some studies also show that vitamin D may help prevent fatty liver disease.
If you are concerned about your liver health, this study offers hope that a simple addition to your diet could make a big difference.
If you care about gut health, please read studies about a surprising link between gut health and eye disease risk and Gut troubles could signal future Parkinson’s disease.
For more about gut health, please read studies that this stuff in coffee and chocolate may impact gut health and Gut health is linked to anxiety levels.
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