Intestines

Good day, Mr. Jelínek,

I use tapioca starch for thickening or make pudding for my son with tapioca pearls, believing it is a starch beneficial for the intestines. The internet says it contains resistant starch, while some sources claim it does not due to processing. So, is it more suitable to use potato starch if I want to support intestinal bacteria? And is it true that cooking oats, rice, or potatoes and letting them cool down before consuming them cold increases the intake of resistant starch? The ZOF application does not calculate this for me, so is it more certain to use potato starch or juice from raw potatoes?

Thank you for your response.

Tapioca starch contains a minimal amount of resistant starch due to the technological processing of the raw material. If you are targeting the prebiotic effect of the diet, use either potato starch (the most advantageous is pressed potato juice) or focus on the complexity in choosing fiber-rich foods.

Heat treatment changes the structure of starch; after cooling the food, the content of resistant starch is always higher. In this respect, it is more advantageous to consume heat-treated foods cold, but in practice, this rule is applied very rarely. For this reason, we did not include the function of calculating resistant starch in relation to heat treatment of food in the ZOF application, as it does not have broader practical application.

Hello,

How/when does intestinal volvulus occur? How can it be avoided?

Thank you in advance for your response, and best regards.

In cases of bowel obstruction (ileus), there is a slowing or cessation of the movement of intestinal contents through the digestive tract. This obstruction is most commonly caused by two factors:
1. The first is a mechanical obstruction - a larger amount of intestinal contents, foreign bodies, tumors, or possibly adhesions and hernias.
2. The second is disorders of intestinal motility, most commonly caused by inflammation.
Available prevention related to diet involves addressing diet according to the generally known rules of rational eating, i.e., regularity, appropriate portion sizes, avoiding highly processed foods, and adequate fiber intake. Regular physical activity is of crucial importance as it stimulates intestinal motility.

Hello, Mr. Jelínek.

I am curious about the differences in the digestion of fructose and beet sugar. Why can fructose ferment in the intestines for some people while sugar does not?

Thank you for your response.

In the given situation, several factors can influence digestive manifestations. It is important to distinguish between:

- the amount of sugar ingested,
- its form - pure (e.g., in beverages) vs. bound to other components (in food),
- the composition of the diet,
- the activity (diversity) of the intestinal microbiota.

The process of absorbing fructose is more complex than that of glucose (sugars are absorbed through different enzymatic reactions). Beet sugar (sucrose) is composed of glucose and fructose; therefore, when consuming the same amount of this sugar compared to pure fructose as a sweetener, the digestive tract receives a halved portion of fructose. This can lead to different digestive tract reactions in specific situations.

Furthermore, the question arises as to what exactly you mean by the term "ferment." Fructose (fruit sugar) is typically found in fruit, which is rich in soluble fiber. This fiber absorbs water in the intestines, and consuming larger amounts of fruit can lead to feelings of fullness or bloating (however, this is not "fermentation in the intestines").