Resistant starch: Insights into better health and metabolism

The rise in chronic diseases due to changing diets and lifestyles has pushed scientists and industry professionals to innovate, develop, and promote functional foods enriched with novel ingredients to enhance individual health, prevent illnesses, and provide cures. Resistant Starch is a promising functional food ingredient offering physiological benefits and obliterating the cause and effects of chronic diseases. Resistant Starch, as part of a regular diet, improves glycemic and insulin response, reduces blood cholesterol and lipid levels, and improves gut health, hormonal balance, and fertility. Therefore, the substitution of ordinary starch with Resistant Starch in foods in substantial amounts, as part of the balanced diet, among other lifestyle changes, is very crucial for maintaining public health and reducing health care expenditure. This review focuses on the structural and functional properties and the physiological effects of resistant starch including its potential effects on gut microbiota, highlights the crucial role of resistant starch in maintaining and promoting individual health. It also explores the impact and mechanisms of resistant starch in preventing the development and progression of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, hyperlipidemia, colon cancer, and reproductive diseases.