Rice cooked with coconut oil (which creates resistant starch) significantly lowered postprandial glucose, insulin, and hunger hormone ghrelin in 20 obese children compared to plain rice.
Significant glucose and insulin reductions (p<0.01, p<0.05)Simply cooking rice with coconut oil to create resistant starch produced significantly better blood sugar and insulin responses in obese children compared to plain rice — a practical dietary modification requiring no special ingredients.
What the researchers found
The resistant starch meal (rice cooked with coconut oil, M2) produced significantly lower postprandial glucose (p<0.01 for multiple measures) and insulin values (p<0.05) compared to plain rice (M1) in obese children. Postprandial ghrelin — the 'hunger hormone' peptide — was significantly higher after plain rice compared to the coconut oil + lentils meal (M3, p<0.05), suggesting greater appetite suppression with the combined meal.
However, the gut peptide hormones GLP-1 and PYY showed no significant differences between the three meals, and median satiety scores were also not significantly affected, indicating that the metabolic benefits occurred independently of these appetite-regulating peptides.
Why it matters
Childhood obesity is a growing global crisis, and simple dietary modifications that improve metabolic health are highly valuable. This is the first study to examine resistant starch effects on gut peptide hormones and glucose metabolism in children. The finding that simply cooking rice with coconut oil can significantly improve blood sugar responses in obese children offers a practical, low-cost dietary strategy that could be particularly impactful in rice-consuming populations worldwide.
How the study worked
This was a single-blind, non-randomized crossover study in 20 obese children aged 10-14 years without comorbidities. Three test meals were given in sequence after a 12-hour fast: plain rice (M1), rice cooked with coconut oil (M2), and rice cooked in coconut oil with lentils (M3). Blood samples were collected at multiple timepoints between 0-180 minutes and analyzed for glucose, insulin, leptin, GLP-1, ghrelin, and peptide YY (PYY).
What this study cannot tell us
The study was non-randomized and single-blind with a small sample size of 20 children. Meals were given in a fixed sequence rather than randomized order, which could introduce order effects. The study only measured acute (3-hour) responses to a single meal, so long-term metabolic effects are unknown. Satiety scores showed no significant differences despite hormonal changes. The study population was limited to obese children without comorbidities from a single center.
How to read the evidence
This is a small crossover clinical study (n=20) in children. The crossover design is a strength since each child serves as their own control, but the non-randomized meal sequence, small sample size, and single-blind design limit the strength of conclusions. It is the first study of its kind in children, providing valuable preliminary data.
When this study was published
Published in 2023, this study is recent and addresses a timely topic given the global rise in childhood obesity. As the first study of resistant starch effects on gut hormones in children, it fills an important gap in the pediatric nutrition literature.
The bigger picture
This study connects nutritional science with gut peptide biology in a pediatric population. While the gut peptide hormones GLP-1 and PYY — which are targets of major obesity drugs like semaglutide — were not significantly affected by resistant starch in this acute setting, the glucose, insulin, and ghrelin responses were meaningful. The results suggest that dietary resistant starch may work through different metabolic pathways than GLP-1-based pharmacotherapy, potentially offering complementary benefits.
Questions still open
- Would regular consumption of resistant starch meals over weeks or months produce lasting improvements in metabolic markers and gut peptide profiles in obese children?
- Why did GLP-1 and PYY not respond to resistant starch in children when adult studies have shown effects — is this an age-related difference in gut peptide regulation?
- Could resistant starch dietary interventions be combined with other approaches to enhance the GLP-1 and PYY responses that were absent in this study?
Common questions
What is resistant starch and how does cooking rice with coconut oil create it?
Why were GLP-1 and PYY measured in this study?
Read the original research
Acute postprandial gut hormone, leptin, glucose and insulin responses to resistant starch in obese children: a single blind crossover study.
Archives of disease in childhood, 108(1), 47-52
Citation
Suntharesan, Jananie; Atapattu, Navoda; Jasinghe, Eresha; Ekanayake, Sagarika; de Silva, Delpachitra Acharige Gajabahu Harendra; Dunseath, Gareth; Luzio, Steohan; Premawardhana, Lakdasa. (2023). Acute postprandial gut hormone, leptin, glucose and insulin responses to resistant starch in obese children: a single blind crossover study.. Archives of disease in childhood, 108(1), 47-52. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2022-324203