The health-related benefits of Atchison, Kas.-based MGP Ingredient’s Fibersym RW, an RS4 resistant wheat starch, continue to become increasingly evident, according to the company. Results of a study conducted at South Dakota State University showed a diet enriched with the product, which performs like a prebiotic fiber, may lower blood cholesterols and improve body composition. The findings suggest the ingredient’s use as a plausible tool in the comprehensive management of metabolic syndrome (MetS), which is defined as a cluster of heart attack and cardiovascular disease risk factors, including diabetes/prediabetes, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia and hypertension.

Results of the study, titled “Resistant starch type 4-enriched diet lowered blood cholesterols and improved body composition in a double blind controlled cross-over intervention,” were collected, analyzed and interpreted over a period of nearly one year. They have been published in the June 2014 print and on-line editions of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, and are also available at www.sdstate.edu/eam/publications.cfm.

“Functional food ingredients incorporating resistant starch in daily meals can potentially contribute to a long-term healthier dietary lifestyle,” noted Moul Dey, Ph.D., who helped perform the study. “The recent study results are interesting in several ways, but most importantly they suggest that the health benefits of this type of RS4 starch are achievable in real life environments.”

Previously compiled data have demonstrated Fibersym RW’s effectiveness in blood glucose and insulin control, caloric reduction and the production of beneficial and energy-yielding metabolites through colonic fermentation. Scientific evidence for these physiological effects may be found in a number of studies conducted by several universities, including the University of Toronto, Kansas State University and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in collaboration with the company.

The resistant wheat starch delivers a minimum of 85% total dietary fiber and has applications in a wide range of bakery and prepared food products, including bread, muffins, flour tortillas, pancakes, waffles, breakfast cereals, cookies, pasta and noodles, crackers and other snack items. Possessing a neutral flavor, it is a fine white powder that may be blended into multiple formulations to deliver desired taste and visually appealing qualities.

For more information, visit www.mgpingredients.com.