The TIGER Protocol by Akil Palanisamy MD

Author:Akil Palanisamy, MD [PALANISAMY, AKIL]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2023-05-09T00:00:00+00:00

ADVANCED TIP: LEGUMES FOR LONGEVITY

Legumes are actually the superstars of the prebiotic world. Not surprisingly, an interesting study on longevity found that legumes were the single most important dietary predictor of a long life in older people from around the world.25 The study followed populations in Japan, Sweden, Greece, and Australia and found that every 20 g increase in the daily intake of legumes was associated with a 7–8 percent reduction in mortality.

Type II Resistant Starch

Type II resistant starch refers to starch with a high content of a specific carbohydrate known as amylose. It is not easily broken down by our digestive enzymes and is found in certain raw foods. If these foods are cooked, then the starch can be broken down by our enzymes and absorbed, so the resistant starch is no longer present. This is also the form found in certain supplements as well, such as potato starch and green plantain flour, which you’ll learn about in this section.

Because the supplements are more concentrated products than food sources of prebiotics, be careful when considering whether to take them. A caveat is that patients with overgrowth of microbes such as in SIBO or yeast should avoid prebiotic supplements as they can exacerbate the conditions. Before taking any supplement, I recommend consulting with your practitioner.

Plantains. Plantains are fruits that resemble bananas but are a bit larger and more fibrous. They are very popular in the Caribbean and certain African and Asian countries. Green plantain is the richest source of resistant starch and is often made into chips or cooked in other ways. The cooking process does break down some of the resistant starch, but a significant amount remains. They are also an excellent source of potassium and magnesium.

Bananas. As we discussed earlier, bananas contain inulin and they do also have appreciable amounts of resistant starch. In this case, the greener the banana, the higher the resistant starch content. Very ripe bananas have probably lost most of their prebiotics, which have become converted to sugars.

Potato starch. The starch, not the flour, is an excellent source of resistant starch. It is tasteless and dissolves easily in water. If you are using it as a resistant starch supplement the trick is to consume it raw. If you cook potato starch it will be absorbed and metabolized in your body. If you are going to take it as a supplement, I would recommend starting very slow, perhaps with a quarter teaspoon dissolved in four ounces of water once per day after a meal. You may have digestive symptoms such as gas or bloating as your gut bacteria changes. If this occurs, try lowering the dose.

If you tolerate a quarter teaspoon, stay on this dose for three days and monitor for any side effects like gas, bloating, or change in stool consistency. If no major side effects occur, gradually increase by a quarter teaspoon every three days up to a dosage of one teaspoon per day. You do not want the dosage of resistant starch to be too high, at the exclusion of other prebiotics.

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