What Is Resistant Wheat Starch and How Does It Work In Your Body?

By Kristin Neusel, MS, RD, LD, CDCES

These statements are entirely thoughts of the author and not claims made by the company. The Author was compensated to create this article.

If you’ve ever seen the buzz word “resistant starch” or “resistant wheat starch” and wondered “What in the world is that?!”, you’re not alone! As a Registered Dietitian, I do get this question quite a bit, especially as more and more products contain this super ingredient. To break it down easily, resistant starch is a type of carbohydrate that resists digestion and heads to your colon to get fermented by the good bacteria (this is a good thing!). Since your body can’t absorb or digest this carbohydrate, this means it’s not going to cause those blood sugar spikes you would see with other types of carbohydrates. Other types of carbs are quickly broken down in the small intestine into glucose. Resistant starch is a carbohydrate that acts similar to a type of fiber (1).

The world of carbohydrates and fibers can be a bit confusing, so let me break it down even further! Dietary fiber is technically a carbohydrate (see, they’re not all bad!) that isn’t digested or absorbed in the small intestine and also has beneficial physiological effects (2). Resistant starch, including resistant wheat starch, acts like fiber because it escapes digestion in your small intestine as well and then heads down to the colon where gut bacteria ferments it (1). Remember, not all carbohydrates behave the same way in the body. Some are quickly digested and can raise blood sugars fast. Others, like resistant wheat starch, move through your digestive track more slowly and provide health benefits, which we’ll talk about next.

What Are the Health Benefits of Resistant Wheat Starch?

Gosh- there are SO many health benefits of resistant wheat starch- it’s a very underrated carb! Let’s get into it:

Helps You Feel More Satiated

When you eat more fiber, this has historically been associated with increased satiety and improved appetite regulation (3). Think of it like this, I mentioned fiber goes through slowly- meaning you’re going to feel fuller for a longer period of time. Because resistant starch isn’t digested in the small intestine, it contributes some bulk and also slows gastric emptying. Feeling fuller for longer after meals can help prevent overeating and mindless snacking.

Supports Overall Health

Higher fiber intake is consistently associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and all cause mortality (3). Unfortunately, most adults in the USA don’t meet the daily fiber recommendations of 25-38 grams per day (4), and this has been going on for a while now. Incorporating ingredients such as resistant wheat starch can help close that gap by quickly adding more fiber to your daily consumption.

Reduces Post Meal Blood Glucose and Insulin Concentrations

Studies have shown that resistant starch can help reduce postprandial glucose and insulin responses when compared to traditional starches (5). This goes back to what I mentioned previously, when resistant starch isn’t rapidly broken down into glucose in the small intestine, it can help contribute to a lower glycemic response. For those who are monitoring their blood sugars, this slower digestion can be super helpful.

Better Bowel Movements and Decreased Cholesterol

When we think of fiber, we think of bowel movements a lot of times! Dietary fiber helps support bowel regularity (read: normal bowel movements!), by increasing stool bulk and improving transit time, depending on the fiber type (2). Fermentable fibers, including resistant starch, can also contribute to improvements in lipid metabolism and cholesterol labs- specifically, soluble fiber being a big helper here (3).

Supports Gut Health as a Prebiotic

Some people get confused between prebiotics and probiotics. Probiotics are the healthy bacteria in our guts. Prebiotics are food for those probiotics, mainly fibers! One of the most important functions of resistant wheat starch is the fact that it acts as a prebiotic. When you feed your healthy gut bacteria, it supports a better population of that healthy gut bacteria, which we know supports our overall health. Prebiotics are substrates that are selectively utilized by host microorganisms and confer a health benefit (6).

Resistant starch bypasses digestion and absorption in the small intestine, but when it reaches the large intestine (where healthy gut bacteria live), it is fermented by the gut microbiota.

We want this fermentation to happen because it produces short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, acetate, and propionate (1). These compounds play an important role in colon health, gut barrier integrity, and metabolic function.

Quick recap: Some of the benefits of resistant wheat starch acting as a prebiotic include:

• Production of short chain fatty acids that support colon cell health
• Support for immune and metabolic function
• Feeding beneficial gut bacteria
• Helping keep digestion regular

From a dietitian’s clinical point of view, this fermentation process is one of the primary ways that fiber supports whole body health- and is probably something most folks don’t think about!

How Resistant Wheat Starch Works in the Body

When I mentioned that resistant wheat starch resists digestion in the small intestine, this simply means that enzymes in the small intestine cannot break it down into glucose.

Here’s what happens physiologically:

1. You consume a food containing resistant wheat starch.
2. In the small intestine, digestive enzymes break down most starch into glucose, but resistant starch is different. Resistant wheat starch is not fully digested and remains intact (1).
3. It passes into the large intestine (where your gut bacteria reside).
4. Gut bacteria ferment the resistant wheat starch.
5. Fermentation produces short chain fatty acids, which support gut health and metabolic processes we talked about above (1).

To break it down even simpler, instead of quickly being absorbed as sugar, resistant wheat starch travels all the way to the colon where it acts as a food source for healthy gut bacteria and behaves like fiber.

This mechanism explains why resistant wheat starch provides a variety of health benefits. For example, supporting digestive function, helping you to feel fuller for longer, contributing to improved post-meal blood glucose responses, and also increasing your total daily fiber intake (which we know most Americans don’t meet!).

Where can you find resistant wheat starch? Well, it’s one of the key ingredients in Hero Bread baked goods. It allows Hero Bread to deliver traditional bread texture while maintaining low net carbs and high fiber content. So you can enjoy tasty and healthy bread at the same time! One of my favorite things about Hero Bread baked goods is that it also maintains that familiar taste and structure as the traditional baked goods you’re likely used to.

Key highlights of Hero Bread baked goods as a dietitian that I like to point include:

• 0 grams of sugar across all products*
• 0 -5 grams of net carbs depending on the baked good*
• An excellent source of fiber*
• Up to 19 grams of protein per serving*

You can find resistant wheat starch in their baked goods, even beyond the traditional sliced bread. Think Cheddar Biscuits, Hot Dog Buns, Elbow Noodles Pasta, and Hawaiian Rolls that are all packed with resistant starch! So the next time you’re building a tasty breakfast burrito or burger and you want to add some resistant starch while still having delicious taste, check out Hero Bread baked goods, where you’ll get the benefits of resistant wheat starch in every bite!

Understanding what resistant wheat starch is and how it works allows you to see how ingredient innovation can align with nutritional science. Resistant wheat starch supports gut health, fullness, and blood sugar management while contributing to overall fiber intake.

Related Posts:

• 5 Processed Foods Recommended by a Dietitian
• 5 Breads that Have More Sugar Than a Cookie (and What to Swap for Them!)
• Is Hero Bread Healthy?
• A Dietitian’s Take On “FiberMaxxing”: The Latest TikTok Trend
• Can you eat too much fiber?

References

1. Birt DF, Boylston T, Hendrich S, et al. Resistant starch: Promise for improving human health. Advances in Nutrition. 2013;4(6):587–601.
2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Science Review of Isolated and Synthetic Non Digestible Carbohydrates. 2018.
3. Reynolds A, Mann J, Cummings J, et al. Carbohydrate quality and human health: A series of systematic reviews and meta analyses. The Lancet. 2019;393(10170):434–445.
4. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025.
5. Robertson MD. Dietary resistant starch and glucose metabolism. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care. 2012;15(4):362–367.
6. Gibson GR, Hutkins R, Sanders ME, et al. The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics consensus statement on the definition and scope of prebiotics. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2017;14:491–502.

*All figures listed are per serving. Not a low calorie food. Some products contain allulose. Products contain up to 18g fat per serving. See nutrition facts on each product page for information on sodium, sugar, and fat content.