Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (744 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Any of a group of polysaccharides of the general formula (c6-h10-o5)n, composed of a long-chain polymer of glucose in the form of amylose and amylopectin. It is the chief storage form of energy reserve (carbohydrates) in plants.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Amylomaize Starch; Starch, Amylomaize; Cornstarch; Amylum; Keoflo.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Glucans; Dietary Carbohydrates
- Narrower topics
- Dextrins; Inulin; Resistant Starch; Amylopectin; Amylose; Hydroxyethyl Starch Derivatives
Related concepts
- C6-H10-O5
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 59,480 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Starch” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 16,359 of them (27.5%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 17,955 records.
Reviews account for 3,303 records (5.6%) and meta-analyses for 159. Randomized controlled trials number 1,733 (2.9%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 14,462 |
| 2000-2009 | 10,704 |
| 2010-2019 | 17,955 |
| 2020 onward | 16,359 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 3,303 | 5.6% |
| Meta-analyses | 159 | 0.3% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 1,733 | 2.9% |
Method: PubMed query "Starch"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resistant Starch and Microbiota-Derived Secondary Metabolites: A Focus on Postbiotic Pathways in Gut Health and Irritable Bowel Syndrome | 2025 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 14 | cc by PMID 40869071 · DOI · PMC12386623 |
| Sugammadex vs neostigmine in post-anesthesia recovery: A systematic review and meta-analysis | 2025 | Meta-analysis Design not recorded in structured metadata | 7 | cc by PMID 40754949 · DOI · PMC12505526 |
| Effect of Prebiotic Supplementation With and Without Physiotherapy on Pain and Pain Sensitivity in People with Knee Osteoarthritis | 2026 | Randomized controlled trial Design not recorded in structured metadata | 6 | cc by PMID 41829888 · DOI · PMC12986947 |
Resistant Starch and Microbiota-Derived Secondary Metabolites: A Focus on Postbiotic Pathways in Gut Health and Irritable Bowel Syndrome [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Resistant starch (RS) is emerging as a multifunctional dietary component and delivery platform for microbiota-accessible carbohydrates.
- Closing excerpt
- This review aims to clarify the mechanistic links between RS fermentation and postbiotic production, highlighting its therapeutic potential in IBS management.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (204 words)
Resistant starch (RS) is emerging as a multifunctional dietary component and delivery platform for microbiota-accessible carbohydrates. Upon fermentation by gut microbiota, particularly in the colon, RS generates a wide spectrum of postbiotic compounds-including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), indoles, bile acid derivatives, and neuroactive amines such as GABA and serotonin precursors. These metabolites modulate gut-brain signaling, immune responses, and intestinal barrier integrity, which are critical pathways in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This review synthesizes current knowledge on RS structure, classification, and fermentation dynamics, with a special focus on RS3 due to its practical dietary relevance and strong microbiota-modulatory effects. We highlight emerging evidence from clinical studies supporting RS-mediated improvements in IBS symptoms, microbial diversity, and inflammation. Importantly, RS acts as a smart colonic delivery system by escaping enzymatic digestion in the small intestine and reaching the colon intact, where it serves as a targeted substrate for microbial fermentation into bioactive metabolites. This host-microbiota interplay underpins the development of personalized, microbiome-informed nutrition interventions tailored to specific IBS subtypes. Future directions include omics-based stratification, optimized RS formulations, and predictive algorithms for individualized responses. This review aims to clarify the mechanistic links between RS fermentation and postbiotic production, highlighting its therapeutic potential in IBS management.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40869071 · DOI · PMC12386623
Sugammadex vs neostigmine in post-anesthesia recovery: A systematic review and meta-analysis [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Residual neuromuscular blockade (RNB) is linked to an increased risk of perioperative adverse events.
- Closing excerpt
- However, this expedited reversal does not result in measurable improvements in overall recovery quality, nor do either sugammadex or neostigmine significantly affect postoperative cognitive function.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (254 words)
Residual neuromuscular blockade (RNB) is linked to an increased risk of perioperative adverse events. This study systematically evaluates the impact of neuromuscular blockade antagonists on postoperative complications and quality of recovery in surgical patients. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the efficacy of sugammadex and neostigmine. Comprehensive searches were performed across medical databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, with a final search date of April 6, 2025. A total of thirty-five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 4,275 patients, along with two retrospective studies comprising 49,642 participants, met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis revealed that sugammadex facilitated faster reversal of RNB compared to neostigmine, as indicated by a quicker recovery to a train-of-four ratio (TOFR) ≥ 0.9 (standardized mean difference [SMD] -3.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], -4.42 to -2.48), a shorter extubation time (SMD -1.44; 95% CI, -2.02 to -0.85), and a decreased incidence of RNB (risk ratio [RR] 0.18; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.47). Moreover, sugammadex significantly reduced postoperative complications compared to neostigmine, including the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) (RR 0.64; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.88), postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) (RR 0.62; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.99), and bradycardia (RR 0.32; 95% CI, 0.20 to 0.50). In conclusion, sugammadex provides a faster reversal of neuromuscular blockade compared to neostigmine and is associated with a reduction in postoperative complications. However, this expedited reversal does not result in measurable improvements in overall recovery quality, nor do either sugammadex or neostigmine significantly affect postoperative cognitive function.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40754949 · DOI · PMC12505526
Effect of Prebiotic Supplementation With and Without Physiotherapy on Pain and Pain Sensitivity in People with Knee Osteoarthritis [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Background: Emerging evidence links the gut microbiome to chronic pain processing.
- Closing excerpt
- Only inulin improved pain sensitivity and grip strength, the latter paralleled by increased GLP-1, and had much higher rates of retention compared to PSE.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (286 words)
Background: Emerging evidence links the gut microbiome to chronic pain processing. Inulin, a prebiotic fibre, modulates the gut microbiome, while physiotherapy-supported exercise (PSE) improves pain and function. We evaluated the effects of inulin supplementation with and without PSE on knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain. Methods: In a 2 × 2 factorial RCT, 117 community-dwelling adults with knee OA received 6 weeks of: (A) 20 g/day inulin, (B) digital PSE (Joint Academy™), (C) inulin +PSE, or (D) 10 g/day maltodextrin. Primary outcome: pain (Numerical Rating Scale). Secondary: 30 s sit-to-stand (30-CST), timed up and go (TUG), grip strength, and quantitative sensory testing. Serum short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) were measured. The study was not powered to detect synergistic interaction. Results: A total of 117 participants (58.1% female; mean ± SD age = 67.5 ± 9.4 years; BMI = 29.5 ± 5.3 kg/m2; NRS = 3.96 ± 2.67) completed the trial. Pain improved with inulin (baseline-adjusted between-group mean difference (Δ) = -1.11 [95%CI -2.18, -0.04], p = 0.045) and PSE (Δ = -1.55 [95%CI -2.52, -0.58], p = 0.002) compared to placebo, with no synergistic effect. PSE improved TUG (p = 0.02) and 30-CST (p = 0.0004), while inulin improved grip strength (p = 0.002), pressure pain thresholds (p = 0.009) and temporal summation (p = 0.025) compared to placebo and had significantly lower dropout rates (3.6%) compared with PSE (21% p p = 0.0248) and GLP-1 (p = 0.0109), and higher GLP-1 was associated with improved grip strength, suggesting a gut-muscle link. Conclusions: Inulin and PSE each produced meaningful pain reductions. Only inulin improved pain sensitivity and grip strength, the latter paralleled by increased GLP-1, and had much higher rates of retention compared to PSE.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41829888 · DOI · PMC12986947
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Association of hydroxyethyl starch administration with mortality and acute kidney injury in critically ill patients requiring volume resuscitation: a systematic review and meta-analysis [4]
- Research article Hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.38-0.45 versus crystalloid or albumin in patients with sepsis: systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis [5]
- Research article Cyclodextrins inclusion complex: Preparation methods, analytical techniques and food industry applications [6]
- Research article Efficacy and safety of sugammadex versus neostigmine in reversing neuromuscular blockade in adults [7]
- Research article Effect of waxy maize-derived hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 on renal function in surgical patients [8]
- Research article Multicharged cyclodextrin supramolecular assemblies [9]
References
- Kovacs E, Szabo K, Varvara RA, Uifãlean A, Cozma A, Vulturar R, et al.. Resistant Starch and Microbiota-Derived Secondary Metabolites: A Focus on Postbiotic Pathways in Gut Health and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. . 2025. PMID 40869071 · DOI · PMC12386623
- Zhu N, Li Y. Sugammadex vs neostigmine in post-anesthesia recovery: A systematic review and meta-analysis. . 2025. PMID 40754949 · DOI · PMC12505526
- Kouraki A, Franks S, Vijay A, Kurien T, Taylor MA, Smith SL, et al.. Effect of Prebiotic Supplementation With and Without Physiotherapy on Pain and Pain Sensitivity in People with Knee Osteoarthritis. . 2026. PMID 41829888 · DOI · PMC12986947
- Zarychanski R, Abou-Setta AM, Turgeon AF, Houston BL, McIntyre L, Marshall JC, et al.. Association of hydroxyethyl starch administration with mortality and acute kidney injury in critically ill patients requiring volume resuscitation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2013. PMID 23423413 · DOI
- Haase N, Perner A, Hennings LI, Siegemund M, Lauridsen B, Wetterslev M, et al.. Hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.38-0.45 versus crystalloid or albumin in patients with sepsis: systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis. BMJ. 2013. PMID 23418281 · DOI · PMC3573769
- Cid-Samamed A, Rakmai J, Mejuto JC, Simal-Gandara J, Astray G. Cyclodextrins inclusion complex: Preparation methods, analytical techniques and food industry applications. Food Chem. 2022. PMID 35219231 · DOI
- Hristovska AM, Duch P, Allingstrup M, Afshari A. Efficacy and safety of sugammadex versus neostigmine in reversing neuromuscular blockade in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017. PMID 28806470 · DOI · PMC6483345
- Martin C, Jacob M, Vicaut E, Guidet B, Van Aken H, Kurz A. Effect of waxy maize-derived hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 on renal function in surgical patients. Anesthesiology. 2013. PMID 23340352 · DOI
- Liu Z, Liu Y. Multicharged cyclodextrin supramolecular assemblies. Chem Soc Rev. 2022. PMID 35593232 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.