Resistant starch helps weight loss

What's not news: Resistant starch helps weight loss.

Why we should believe it: Evidence has been piling up for years. Most recently, a new study published this Monday by scientists in China showed that 8 weeks of resistant starch supplementation led to 2.8kg in weight loss, with no other change in diet or exercise habits. A placebo supplement created no weight loss.

Previous studies have hinted that resistant starch helps weight loss in various possible ways. Maybe it's via lower insulin levels, the release of gut satiety peptides, or enhanced fat oxidation. This new study provides a different explanation. It shows that resistant starch reshapes the gut microbiome in ways that create weight loss.

So, what can you specifically do now: If you'd like to lose weight easily and naturally, you can supplement with resistant starch. The present study used 40 grams of maize-derived resistant starch each day.

Another, probably healthier option, is to simply introduce more beans and legumes into your diet. Beans and legumes are a natural source of resistant starch. Unlike other sources of resistant starch, such as green bananas, uncooked oats, and cold rice, beans and legumes fit well into many meals and diets. And as Dan Buettner has been pointing out for years, they are a staple of Blue Zones eating patterns.