What's the difference between fiber, resistant starch and polyphenols?Updated 6 months ago

Fiber and resistant starch are different is form but similar in function. Fiber is a complex carbohydrate found in plant foods, and some fiber (not all) is prebiotic and therefore fermented by our gut bacteria to produce short chain fatty acids. 

Resistant starch is a form of starch, but unlike most starches it resists digestion in the small intestine which allows it to be processed by our gut microbes resulting in the production of short chain fatty acids. Fiber and resistant starch are not the same, but they both serve as a source of short chain fatty acids. 

Polyphenols are very different. These are large molecules found in plant foods that are responsible for the different colors that you see in plants. There are 8000 different polyphenols, and they are widely variable. But what is common is that 90-95% of polyphenols escape digestion, meet your microbes, are transformed, and impact your microbiome. While the polyphenols themselves are not turned into short chain fatty acids, the polyphenols change the microbiome so you can get MORE SCFAs. In other words, fiber, resistant starch and polyphenols are synergistic. You will find all three in DMN.