May 23/Bridgewater, N.J./Enhanced Online News -- Low doses of a resistant starch could improve insulin sensitivity in men at risk for prediabetes, according to a study underwritten by National Starch LLC, a business unit of Corn Products International. The American Diabetes Association defines prediabetes as a non-disease state where blood sugar (glucose) levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
In a presentation given at Experimental Biology 2011 in Washington, D.C., on April 10, study leader Kevin C. Maki, Ph.D. of Biofortis-Provident Clinical Research (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) reported that overweight or obese but non-diabetic male participants taking part in a clinical study showed a 72.7% improvement in insulin sensitivity after receiving a 30g/day (d) dose of resistant starch from Hi-maize 260, and a 56.5% improvement in insulin sensitivity from a 15g/d dose. While a positive insulin sensitivity effect has been reported in previous trials with Hi-maize resistant starch, this was the first study to examine the lower dose of 15g/d.