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Starch is a primary energy storage for plants, making it an essential component of many plant-based foods consumed today. Resistant starch (RS) refers to those starch fractions that escape digestion in the small intestine and reach the colon where they are fermented by the microflora. RS has been repeatedly reported as having benefits on health, but ensuring that its content remains in food processing may be challenging. The present work focuses on the impact RS on health and explores the different processes that may influence its presence in foods, thus potentially interfering with these effects. Clinical evidence published from 2010 to 2023 and studying the effect of RS on health parameters in adult populations, were identified, using PUBMED/Medline and Cochrane databases. The search focused as well on observational studies related to the effect of food processes on RS content. While processes such as milling, fermentation, cooking and heating seem to have a deleterious influence on RS content, other processes, such as cooling, cooking time, storage time, or water content, may positively impact its presence. Regarding the influence on health parameters, there is a body of evidence suggesting an overall significant beneficial effect of RS, especially type 1 and 2, on several health parameters such as glycemic response, insulin resistance index, bowel function or inflammatory markers. Effects are more substantiated in individuals suffering from metabolic diseases. The effects of RS may however be exerted differently depending on the type. A better understanding of the influence of food processes on RS can guide the development of dietary intake recommendations and contribute to the development of food products rich in RS.

BackgroundMiddle Eastern Mediterranean diet (MEMD) is a traditional plant-based diet that is commonly consumed and increasingly popular, but not well studied in nutrition research. To facilitate the dietary assessment of MEMD, we developed and validated a photographic food atlas depicting a variety of foods and dishes consumed in the MEM region.MethodsThe photographic food atlas included 1,002 photos of 400 types of foods and traditional dishes photographed characterizing MEMD. Foods and dishes were prepared by a professional cook and were subsequently photographed as a series of photos depicting portion size options. In a validation study, 45 individuals aged 20–50 years were recruited to assess portion size estimation of 25 representative food-photo series for each item. The validity of portion size estimation was assessed by comparing actual and reported estimates using Pearson or Spearman correlation tests. Sizes of the differences between estimated portions and the actual served portion sizes were calculate as mean differences and standard deviations.ResultsIn the validation study, there was a strong correlation (r > 0.7) between estimated portion size of actual foods for 7 food items, such as pita bread, milk, labneh, and tomatoes, a moderate correlation (< 0.5 | r | < 0.7) for 12 items, such as meat, chicken, and grapes, and weak correlation (r < 0.3) for 6 items, such as seeds. Underestimation of portion sizes was more commonly observed for food items quantified when using “grams” or “milliliters” as a unit of measurement. In contrast, when household measurements were used, the participants tended to overestimate the portion sizes of respective foods and dishes.ConclusionWe developed and validated a photographic food atlas depicting a wide variety of foods and dishes typical for the MEMD. The application of the photographic food atlas may facilitate the accurate assessment of adherence to MEMD and support the understanding of its health and sustainability aspects. Further methodological work is warranted to extend the list of food items and to evaluate the validity of the food atlas among larger and more heterogeneous groups of participants.

The current review aims to summarize published research on nutrition transition patterns (depicting changes in dietary consumption) in European populations over the last three decades (1990–2020), with a focus on East-West regional comparisons. Pubmed and Google-Scholar databases were searched for articles providing information on repeated dietary intakes in populations living in countries across Europe, published between January 1990 and July 2021. From the identified 18,031 articles, 62 were found eligible for review (17 from Eastern and 45 from Western European populations). Overall, both in Eastern and Western Europe, there have been pronounced changes in dietary consumption patterns over the last three decades characterized by reductions in average reported intakes of sugar, carbohydrates and saturated fats and increases in reported fruit and vegetable consumption. There has also been a tendency toward a reduction in traditional foods, such as fish, observed in some Mediterranean countries. Overall, these data suggests that European countries have undergone a nutrition transition toward adopting healthier dietary behaviors. These processes occurred already in the period 1990–2000 in many Western European, and in the last decades have been also spreading throughout Eastern European countries. Firm conclusions are hampered by the lack of standardized methodologies depicting changes in dietary intakes over time and the limited coverage of the full variety of European populations. Future studies based on standardized dietary assessment methods and representative for the whole range of populations across Europe are warranted to allow monitoring trends in nutrition transition within and among European countries.