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Lente Carbohydrate or Slowly Absorbed Starch

Physiological and Therapeutic Implications

  • Chapter
Dietary Fiber

Summary

Current dietary recommendations support the use of increased carbohydrate intakes from minimally processed or high-fiber starchy foods. A characteristic of such food is often that it is more slowly digested and absorbed than many refined and highly processed foods. The assumption that slow absorption of nutrients may have benefit is central to the fiber hypothesis and has been described as a new therapeutic principle. Other similar approaches include the use of specific digestive enzyme inhibitors and increased feeding frequency. Slow carbohydrate absorption may result in a number of sequelae, including flatter glucose and endocrine responses and lower blood lipids, reduced blood urea levels through increased NH3 trapping in the colon, increased laxation, and enhanced colonic retrieval of short-chain fatty acids with further potential beneficial effects.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada

    David J. A. Jenkins, Alexandra L. Jenkins, Thomas M. S. Wolever, Vladimir Vuksan, Furio Brighenti, Stephen Cunnane, A. Venket Rao, Lilian U. Thompson & Robert G. Josse

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  1. David J. A. Jenkins
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  2. Alexandra L. Jenkins
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  3. Thomas M. S. Wolever
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  4. Vladimir Vuksan
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  5. Furio Brighenti
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  6. Stephen Cunnane
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  7. A. Venket Rao
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  8. Lilian U. Thompson
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  9. Robert G. Josse
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    David Kritchevsky

  2. Astra Associates, Inc., McLean, Virginia, USA

    Charles Bonfield

  3. Veterans Administration Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

    James W. Anderson

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© 1990 Plenum Press, New York

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Jenkins, D.J.A. et al. (1990). Lente Carbohydrate or Slowly Absorbed Starch. In: Kritchevsky, D., Bonfield, C., Anderson, J.W. (eds) Dietary Fiber. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0519-4_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0519-4_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7846-7

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