What is amylose?
Amylose is a type of molecule.
Amylose is a type of slowly digestible starch. (1)
Amylose is a type of long-chain polysaccharide starch. (2)
What does amylose do?
connects to amylopectin to form starch granules. (1)
The amylose chain twists into a helix and then two chains bond together, forming a structure that resists the digestive enzymes trying to break the glucose molecules part. (1)
As a result, amylose is slowly digested and absorbed. (1)
Amylose can help keep blood sugar balanced because it does not cause a large spike in blood sugar levels. (1)
What does amylose contain?
contains 500 to 20,000 molecule of glucose connected together in a straight chain. (1)
What contains amylose?
About 20 to 30 percent of the natural starch in plants consists of amylose. (1)
What foods contain amylose?
high-amylose corn (aka amylomaize) (2)
cooked, cooled, then reheated rice (2)
quinoa (2)
cooked, cooled, then reheated potatoes (2)
baby potatoes (2)
beans (2)
lentils (2)
oats (2)
arrowroot powder (2)
green bananas (2)
Amylose and Humans
The human body can only partially digest and absorbs it, giving it the name resistant starch. (2)
Where is amylose digested?
Instead of being digested in the small intestine along with other carbohydrates, amylose ferments in the large intestine (the colon), and feeds the gut bacteria there. (2)
What do amylose do?
helps to have a more diverse and helpful gut microbiome (2)
improved blood sugar control (2)
increased feeling of fullness (2)
more regular bowel movements (2)
lower cholesterol (2)
decreased risk of colon cancer (2)
Resources
1. https://www.livestrong.com/article/501985-types-of-starch/
2. https://www.livestrong.com/article/465067-high-amylose-foods/
