Sustained effects of resistant starch on the expression of genes related to carbohydrate digestion/absorption in the small intestine

Abstract

Resistant starch (RS) consumption has beneficial effects on health, such as reduced postprandial blood glucose levels. In this study, we evaluated the effect of a 14-day diet containing RS on α-glucosidase activity and the expression of genes related to carbohydrate digestion/absorption in rats. We examined whether the effects of RS persist when the rats were shifted to a control diet. The results suggest that RS consumption reduces α-glucosidase activity and Mgam, Si and Sglt1 mRNA levels in the proximal jejunum. In addition, RS consumption appeared to influence the serum GIP level, up to 2 days after the animals were shifted to a control diet. To our knowledge, this is the first report that RS has a sustained effect on gut hormone expression and the expression of genes related to carbohydrate digestion/absorption in the proximal jejunum.

Keywords:

• Resistant starch
• α-glucosidases
• GIP
• small intestine
• sustained effect

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Emily Crow, PhD, from Edanz Group (www.edanzediting.com/ac) for editing a draft of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest directly related to the content of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI [Grant Number 17H01969 and 18K17927] and a grant from the Japan Society of Nutrition and Food Science.