The most common way to store leftover bread is to put it in the freezer of the refrigerator. Research has shown that this method of storing bread for a long time is also good for your health.
According to a study published in the Journal of Preventive and Complementary Medicine, freezing and thawing white bread can reduce blood sugar surges after meals by up to 30% compared to fresh bread.
Researchers at Oxford University asked 10 healthy adults (three males and seven females) aged 22 to 59 to eat white bread according to four different storage and cooking conditions. They included fresh, frozen and thawed conditions, toast, and toast after freezing and thawing.
As a result of the study, when white bread was repeatedly frozen and thawed, blood sugar levels decreased by 31% for 2 hours. When white bread was frozen and thawed and toast, blood sugar levels decreased by 39%. When freshly baked white bread was toast, blood sugar levels decreased by 25%. The researchers said, “After eating frozen bread, glucose and insulin levels do not rise significantly, so this effect can help relieve hunger.”
In response to this phenomenon, Dr. Kunal Sood said in an interview with the Indian English newspaper Times of India, “Frozen bread does not just prevent it from falling in freshness, but can also make it healthier,” adding, “If bread is frozen and then thawed, some starch goes through the process of aging, and in this process, some of the starch structure is reorganized and turned into resistant starch.”
Resistant starch has different properties from the fast-digesting starch found in freshly baked bread and acts like fiber rather than sugar. Because the body digests resistant starch more slowly, blood sugar levels remain stable and rapid increase in blood sugar after meals decreases. Dr. Sood said, “If you toast after freezing, the effect will be stronger. This stabilization effect can be even greater if you reheat it.”
Resistant starch is known to be a food source for beneficial intestinal bacteria, which use fermentable fibers to produce short-chain fatty acids. These compounds support colon health, promote nutrient absorption, and aid a balanced immune response. Dr. Sood said, “Slowing digestion helps not only blood sugar control, but also intestinal health because resistant starch nourishes beneficial bacteria in the large intestine.”
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
