We all know that excessive amounts of biscuits, pastries and soft drinks can skyrocket blood sugar levels and lead to adverse effects on health. But did you know that the same could be true for certain types of starch as well? Here we’ll look at starches from different carbohydrate sources, how they respond inside your body and how they may be impacting your performance.
Amylopectin Starch vs Amylose Starch
Starch is a mixture of two polysaccharides: amylopectin and amylose.
Amylopectin
Amylopectin is a branched chain of glucose molecules (visualise this as multiple branches on a tree). It has a greater surface area, making it easily digestible than amylose. While this may sound like a good thing, it actually means that eating foods rich in this Amylopectin carb can spike blood sugar and insulin levels, causing an increase in triglycerides (fat) and cholesterol levels within the body.
Amylose
Amylose is a linear chain of glucose molecules (visualise this like a single tree trunk). This kind of starch takes longer to digest due to its low surface area. Resulting in less of a spike in blood sugar and insulin. Amylose tend to have higher levels of resistant starch, a type of starch that isn’t completely broken down or absorbed by the body. Resistant starch has been shown to reduce fat storage, increase satiety, lower cholesterol levels and blood sugar, and improve insulin sensitivity.
Although starches contain both of these amylopectin and amylose, a high amount of amylopectin can also increase the glycemic index of foods, which is a measure of how much blood sugar levels increase after consumption.
Negative Effects of Amylopectin
Spikes Blood Sugar and Insulin
Foods with a higher amount of amylopectin have a higher glycemic index, which means they can cause a quick increase in blood sugar and insulin levels.
Insulin is the hormone that is responsible for the transportation of sugar from the blood to the tissues where it can be utilised. Having high levels of insulin over a long period of time, can decrease the effectiveness of insulin, leading to insulin resistance and high blood sugar.
Increased Belly Fat
Eating foods with a high ratio of amylopectin can lead to an increase in visceral fat, most visibly seen around your waistline. Amylopectin and other high glycemic foods can increase insulin, which plays a major role in metabolism and fat storage.
Insulin stops triglycerides from breaking down and going into fat cells, so therefore it causes these triglycerides to float around body impacting our cholesterol and ultimately visceral body fat.
Raises Cholesterol Levels
Research shows that eating a diet high in amylopectin can negatively impact good HDL blood cholesterol levels.
Starchy Foods Choices
Although all starches contain some amylopectin, certain types may have a higher ratio of amylopectin than others. Simple carbs that have a high glycemic index are likely to be higher in amylopectin while foods with a lower glycemic index are likely higher in amylose.
High-amylopectin foods include:
- Short-grain rice
- White bread
- Bagels
- White potatoes
- Cookies
- Crackers
- Pretzels
- Instant oatmeal
- Puffed rice
- Cornflakes
- Rice cakes
High-amylose foods include:
- Long-grain rice
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Sweet potatoes
- Bananas
- Whole wheat
- Barley
- Rye
- Beans
- Legumes
Study
There was a study published in the Journal of Nutrition. They tested subjects for 16 weeks eating a high amylopectin diet. After 16 weeks, test subjects ended up having a 50% increase in insulin. They also ended up having a 50% increase in insulin resistance too, a key marker for onset of diabetes.
