Ilo / Pixabay
TikTok users have claimed that freezing bread can make it healthier. ANDThis is what science really says.
Several TikTok users argue that freezing bread makes it healthier. Some even mention the existence of research that supports their claims. But is this food tip as good as the experts suggest? influencers?
The science behind the claim is, in fact, solid, if a little confusing. But the real health effects are not as significant as we have been led to believe.
When the bread is cooked, the moist, bubbly dough turns into a soft, fluffy loaf. The heat from the oven, combined with the water in the dough, causes the starch in the flour to expand and gelatinize. The same happens when flour is added to a sauce and cooked until it thickens.
These gelatinized starches are easier to digest, making glucose (sugars) that these starches contain are easier to absorb by our cells. This applies to many freshly cooked starchy foods, particularly those low in fiber or made from finely ground flours — such as White bread or the potatoes.
Some evidence suggests that this type of readily available glucose may increase blood sugar levels. insulin right after the meal. While insulin is important as it helps our cells use glucose for energy (or store it for energy later), too much insulin can make you feel hungrier and possibly even gain weight.
However, when foods containing these gelatinized starches are cooled, the expanded starches shrink again, becoming what is known as resistant starch. These collapsed starches are more difficult for the enzymes in our digestive tract to break down, which means it is also more difficult for our cells to obtain the sugar these starches contain. This means that resistant starches are less likely to cause a spike in blood sugar and insulin after eating them.
The degree of formation of resistant starch depends on the baking temperature of the bread and whether it is then refrigerated or frozen. The rate of contraction is almost double in the freezer than in the refrigerator, which means more resistant starch is formed.
Additionally, freezing bread retains water, keeping it fresher and softer than if you store it in the refrigerator, where the water will be lost, making the bread hard.
Should we freeze bread?
A study that focused on ten healthy people looked at the effect of freezing white bread and then toasting it. They compared store-bought bread with homemade bread.
For the homemade bread samples, freezing and thawing the bread reduced the blood sugar spike by 31% over two hours.. Interestingly, toasting fresh bread also reduced the rise in glucose by 25%.
This effect was even greater when the homemade bread was frozen, thawed and then toasted — reducing the blood sugar response by 39%. This effect can potentially help combat hunger, as glucose and insulin levels will not rise as much after eating the frozen bread.
But when commercial, store-bought white bread was used, freezing before toasting did not improve the body’s reaction to blood sugar.. This may reflect the different ways in which commercial bread is manufactured compared to homemade bread. The ingredients used or the way the bread is cooked and then cooled can reduce the effect of freezing on the formation of resistant starch. The evidence is not entirely clear.
Other, more recent studies, also showed similar results. So, although some of the studies are small, the effect that freezing bread has appears to be consistent and thoroughly investigated in the laboratory.
But it’s worth noting that these effects only exist for a few hours after eating the bread. So while freezing bread before eating it can help lower blood sugar levels at one meal (and have a small effect on the next meal as well), the long-term effects on appetite, weight gain, or risk of certain diseases (such as type 2 diabetes) are not known — and are likely to be very low.
Resistant starch can be found in many other cooked and refrigerated starchy foods, such as potatoes, pasta and some (but not all) types of rice. O basmati ricein particular, appears to form more resistant starch than fluffier types of rice.
In addition to being harder to break down than freshly cooked starch, resistant starch provides nutrients to the microbes living in our colon, which helps maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in our gut. These bacteria then release chemicals into the cells lining the colon, which help us maintain a healthy metabolism.
It was also demonstrated that the resistant starch helps insulin work better, slightly increasing insulin sensitivity. This can help our bodies use blood sugar more efficiently, which is associated with better health as it can be used more effectively as fuel by our muscles.
The benefits of resistant starch can even extend to other aspects of our metabolism, as it can also help reduce cholesterol. This effect is thought to be caused by the short-chain fatty acids that intestinal bacteria produce when they ferment resistant starches. Lower cholesterol levels may mean a lower risk of heart disease.
Although these changes may seem quite dramatic, they are short-term, so their long-term effects on our health are more modest. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue freezing your bread. Placing a loaf of bread in the freezer can reduce food waste with the added bonus of some health benefits – however small.
