When eating pizza, a food rich in carbohydrates, blood sugar levels will increase as the body breaks down starch into glucose. The pancreas then secretes insulin to help cells use or store this sugar. This is a normal physiological reaction after meals.
Recently, social networks have spread the view that cooling pizza before eating will help control blood sugar better. The reason given is that the cooling process can increase the amount of resistant starch, a type of starch that digests slowly and causes less sudden blood sugar spikes, is this accurate?
How does resistant starch affect blood sugar?
Resistant starch is not digested right in the small intestine but goes down to the large intestine, so it does not increase blood sugar as quickly as conventional starch.
Starch resistance is slower to be digested, so it can slightly reduce post-meal blood sugar levels and improve insulin response over time," said Dr. Lauri Wright, a nutritionist, Director of the Nutrition Program and Associate Professor at the School of Public Health at the University of South Florida (USF).
An analysis published in 2023 showed that in people with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes, some types of resistant starch are associated with improved blood sugar and insulin control after meals. However, the effectiveness depends greatly on the type of food and diet.
Is cold pizza really different from hot pizza?
According to Meghan Windham, Master of Public Health, nutritionist and assistant professor of clinical science at the University of Texas A&M, the content of resistant starch in food can vary with preservation time and temperature.
The process of cooking and then cooling can produce type 3 resistant starch, but this increase is usually quite small," she explained.
Dr. Lauri Wright also agreed: excess pizza may contain a little more resistant starch, but not enough to create a clear difference in blood sugar reactions in the majority of healthy people.
More importantly, pizza is still a food rich in refined starch, fat, and salt. Factors such as portion size, protein content, fat content, and total energy affect blood sugar more than whether pizza is hot or cold.
Eating cold pizza is not an effective blood sugar control tip. The important thing is still to eat in moderation and balance," Wright emphasized.
Experts recommend that, to better control blood sugar, prioritize meals with whole grains, lean protein, eat on time and maintain regular exercise, instead of waiting for a piece of pizza to cool down.
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