The use of resistant starch to help manage weight is not an automatic success. If it is added to the diet without a focus on weight management, people do not lose weight. For example – participants consumed 40 grams/day of resistant starch as a supplement for 12 weeks without losing weight in Johnston DM 2010. In other words, it does not do the work for you!

But, if participants were in a weight loss program, it can help. For example, another study (Malekian JFFHD 2015) was published by Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Twenty eight obese African American adults participated in this study. Fifteen participants were in the treatment group: they consumed a morning smoothie containing whey protein and resistant starch. Thirteen participants were in the control group: their smoothie contained normal starch. Both groups received nutrition educational counseling. Neither group knew what was in their morning smoothie.

After twenty four weeks, three out of four participants (both control and treatment groups) had changed their eating and physical activities to some extent. This clearly reflects the effectiveness of the nutrition education. The participants incorporated more fresh fruits and vegetables into their diet, reduced their consumption of fried foods and substituted sugary drinks with water.

However, the treatment group lost an average of 13 pounds of weight and approximately 6 cm from their waist circumference and the control group had no change in either weight or waist circumference. While 13 pounds over 6 months does not sound like a big effect, it’s highly significant!

Both whey protein and resistant starch contributed to this effect. There is no way to pull apart effects of the individual ingredients, as they were tested together in this study.

While many groups focus on nutritional counseling, in this study, the counseling was not successful. The smoothie with whey protein and resistant starch made a difference and helped people eat less, and lose weight in their waist and abdomen.