“SWALLOW” is a general term used to describe foods made with starchy carbohydrates and prepared with water until they have a dough-like consistency in Nigerian diets. These are then eaten with a variety of stews. Popular swallows include fufu and eba (made from cassava), amala (made from yam), tuwo (made from maize or rice).
It is common for these foods to be blamed for weight gain because they are made from carbohydrates. The misconception is that starches are unhealthy and should be avoided at all costs. But not all swallows are bad, as has been advocated for years. The problem is not carbohydrate, but the type and quantity of carbohydrate and the same goes for swallows.
Swallows are made from complex carbohydrates, which include starches and fibre, which the body does not break down as quickly as it would sugar (a simple carbohydrate), for instance. They are naturally higher in calories when compared to their non-starchy counterparts, including food like salads, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions.
Interestingly, these swallows and legumes, such as beans, soyabeans, and peas, among many other African foods, may also offer several potential health benefits because they contain resistant starch. Resistant starch is a type of starch that bypasses digestion and has properties similar to those of soluble fibre.
Resistant starch feeds the beneficial bacteria in the stomach and may help reduce inflammation, promote digestive health, and reduce the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Writing in Nature Metabolism, China- and Germany-based scientists further support consuming resistant starch. They reported that resistant starch may aid weight management, probably causing an average weight loss of 2.8 kg and improving metabolic measures such as insulin resistance in overweight and obese people over an eight-week period.
There are over 200 human clinical trials using resistant starch—the majority derived from maize, potato, acorn, and sago—to address digestibility, immune health, insulin and glycemic response, colonic health and fermentation, satiety, and weight management.
There are five types of resistant starch: RS1 and RS2 are not digestible due to their structure; the starch is protected from the intestinal enzyme by granules or cell walls. This type of starch is present in grains, seeds, beans, legumes, and some starchy foods, such as raw potatoes, green (unripe) bananas, and cassava flour.
For RS3 and RS4, starch is modified (cooking and cooling = retrogradation for RS3 and chemically for RS4), making it undigestible and resistant to the attack of intestinal enzymes. They are formed when certain starchy foods, including potatoes, cornflakes, and rice, are cooked and then cooled.
RS5 is a specific complex with starch and lipid, thus preventing granule dissolution during cooking.
For the randomised placebo-controlled crossover trial, the researchers recruited 37 overweight and obese people (average age 33) and randomly assigned them to receive either the resistant starch supplement (40 g of RS per day) or an energy-matched control supplement (Ingredion’s AMIOCA cornflour, 0 g of RS) for eight weeks. Ingredion’s cornflour is an RS2 type of resistant starch.
A four-week washout period ensued, after which the subjects switched to the other intervention for an additional eight weeks. Participants consumed one sachet twice a day.
Results showed that eight weeks of resistant starch supplementation led to an average weight loss of 2.8 kg, compared to no change when consuming the cornflour control supplement.
In addition, the resistant starch supplement was associated with significant reductions in fat mass and waist circumference, with these improvements being seen as early as the second week of the intervention.
The researchers also reported a significant difference in fat intake during resistant starch and cornflour consumption, thus suggesting that the resistant starch intervention may decrease lipid absorption from the diet.
“As resistant starch occurs naturally in foods and can also be added to daily diets, our findings provide a pragmatic lifestyle to treat obesity and its related metabolic disorders. Manipulating the gut microbial composition through diet may represent a strategy for modifying host energy balance to promote health,” they declared.
Additionally, resistant starch consumption benefits extend outside the colon. For instance, a study said resistant starch supports numerous digestive illnesses such as inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, constipation, diverticulitis, and diarrhoea.
Other studies also opined that resistant starch might block the growth and spread of colon cancer cells and support the digestive system.
However, keep in mind that consuming more calories than you burn can contribute to weight gain over time. It is best to enjoy swallows in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
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