Home Ingredients Waxy Maize Starch (Amylopectin)

Waxy Maize Starch (Amylopectin)

Zea mays
Evidence Level
Limited
8 Clinical Trials
6 Documented Benefits
2/5 Evidence Score

Waxy maize starch comes from corn carrying the waxy gene mutation, so its starch is 95 to 100 percent amylopectin rather than the 70 to 75 percent of ordinary corn. It is sold as a sports carbohydrate, either native or hydrothermally modified into a slowly digested, high molecular weight starch such as SuperStarch® (Hydrothermally Modified Waxy Maize Starch). In small trials in trained athletes it gave a smaller early rise in blood glucose and insulin and more fat burning than glucose or maltodextrin drinks, but these are fuel markers. An older trial found a waxy starch allowed more cycling work than placebo, matching glucose. In newer trials of the modified starch, cycling sprints and 5 km runs were no better than with sugar drinks or placebo, and nausea rose in one cycling trial. Muscle glycogen refilled after exercise about as well as with glucose.

Studied Dose About 1 g per kg of body weight 30 minutes before exercise (and again during or after it), 60 to 75 g before exercise (with 30 to 60 g per hour during it in one cycling trial), or 0.7 g per kg per hour split before a match and at halftime. A 50 g dose was used in a resting glucose test.
Active Compound Starch from waxy maize (Zea mays carrying a mutation in the Wx gene for granule-bound starch synthase I), which is 95 to 100 percent amylopectin, the branched form of starch. Used native (uncooked) or hydrothermally modified by heat and moisture treatment into a high molecular weight, slowly digested starch, sold as SuperStarch® (Hydrothermally Modified Waxy Maize Starch) for sport and Glycosade® (Extended-Release Waxy Maize Starch) as a medical food.

Benefits

Carbohydrate fuel before and during endurance exercise

In 10 cyclists, a waxy starch taken 30 minutes before 2 hours of cycling allowed more work in the final ride than placebo and about the same as glucose. In later trials of hydrothermally modified waxy maize starch, sprints after 3 hours of cycling and 5 km run times were no better than with a glucose or sugar drink, and no better than placebo in two runner trials.

Supported by Trial 4, Trial 3

Smaller early rise in blood glucose and insulin, both markers

In 12 young adults at rest, 50 g of uncooked waxy maize starch gave lower 4 hour glucose and insulin responses than a maltodextrin and sucrose mix, mostly in the first hour. In 9 cyclists, the modified starch peaked lower than maltodextrin for glucose (7.4 versus 9.5 mM) and far lower for insulin. These are blood markers, not measures of performance.

Supported by Trial 8, Trial 3

More fat burned during exercise, a fuel marker

Compared with sugar, dextrose or maltodextrin drinks, the modified starch raised blood markers of fat breakdown and fat oxidation in cycling and running trials, by about a third in one. This is a shift in fuel use, not a performance result: in runners, fat breakdown inside fat tissue did not change, and no trial linked the shift to better times.

Supported by Trial 4, Trial 5

Muscle glycogen refill after hard exercise, measured by biopsy

In 8 cyclists eating a high-carbohydrate diet for 12 hours after draining exercise, muscle glycogen rose by a similar amount whether the carbohydrate came from waxy starch, glucose or maltodextrin, and rose less with high-amylose resistant starch. Glycogen is a marker, and next-day time trial work did not differ between any of the carbohydrates.

Supported by Trial 2, Trial 5

Soccer skill tests late in a simulated match

In 11 university soccer players, a hydrothermally modified corn starch taken before a simulated match and at halftime kept dribbling time from slowing versus baseline, unlike dextrose, and passing penalty time was lower than with dextrose. Repeated sprint ability was similar. This single small trial did not state in its abstract that the starch was waxy maize.

Supported by Trial 7, Trial 4

Stomach symptoms during hard exercise and after bedtime use

In 10 cyclists drinking the modified starch before and during about 3 hours of riding, nausea during the closing sprints was higher than with a glucose and sucrose drink with both the matched dose and the halved during-exercise dose. Taken before sleep in 14 runners, it did not change stomach symptoms the next morning.

Supported by Trial 4, Trial 6

Mechanism of action

1

Branched amylopectin and digestion speed

A mutation in the gene for granule-bound starch synthase I means waxy maize makes almost no amylose, leaving starch that is 95 to 100 percent branched amylopectin. Uncooked waxy maize granules are digested slowly from the inside out. How the starch is processed matters: in one oxidation study, cooked (gelatinized) amylopectin was used during exercise to the same extent as glucose, while raw amylopectin was used less.

2

Hydrothermal modification and slower glucose release

Heat and moisture treatment turns waxy maize starch into a high molecular weight starch that releases glucose over a longer period. In a resting and exercise study, blood glucose stayed above baseline for 90 minutes with a processed high-amylopectin starch, versus 60 minutes with uncooked cornstarch and 30 minutes with dextrose. The same property is used in medical foods that extend overnight fasting.

3

Lower insulin and the shift toward fat use

Insulin restrains fat release, so the smaller insulin rise after the modified starch is the proposed reason fat oxidation is higher. A runner trial found that fat breakdown inside abdominal fat tissue did not change, so where the extra fat comes from is not settled, and the shift has not translated into better performance in the trials published.

Clinical trials

1
Waxy Starch Before Cycling: More Work Than Placebo
PubMed

Controlled crossover trial; 1 g/kg of glucose, waxy starch (botanical source not named in the abstract), resistant starch or an artificially sweetened placebo 30 minutes before 90 minutes of steady cycling and a 30 minute self-paced performance ride; PubMed lists non-US-government support (Goodpaster et al. 1996, Int J Sports Med)

10 male college-age competitive cyclists.

Work in the performance ride was higher after waxy starch (428 kJ) or glucose (434 kJ) than after placebo (403 kJ, p < 0.05), and resistant starch tended higher (p < 0.09). Waxy starch did not outperform glucose. Glucose raised resting serum glucose and insulin more than the starches; during exercise, glucose, insulin, C-peptide and glucagon were similar across trials.

2
Starch Structure and Muscle Glycogen Refill After Exercise
PubMed

Crossover trial; after glycogen-lowering cycling, 12 hours of refeeding (about 3000 kcal, 65 percent carbohydrate) with all carbohydrate from glucose, maltodextrin, waxy starch (described as 100 percent amylopectin) or resistant starch (100 percent amylose); vastus lateralis biopsies and a 30 minute time trial 24 hours later (Jozsi et al. 1996, Int J Sports Med)

8 male cyclists, average age 22.

Glycogen rose less with resistant starch (+90.8 mmol/kg dry weight) than with glucose (+197.7), maltodextrin (+136.7) or waxy starch (+171.8), p < 0.05. Total work in the time trial and blood lactate after it did not differ between any of the four carbohydrates.

3
Modified Waxy Maize Starch Versus Maltodextrin in Cyclists
PubMed

Randomized, double-blind crossover trial; 1 g/kg of high molecular weight hydrothermally modified waxy maize starch or maltodextrin 30 minutes before 150 minutes of cycling at 70 percent of peak oxygen uptake and within 10 minutes after it, with a final ride to exhaustion; product and funder not named in the abstract, PubMed lists non-US-government support (Roberts et al. 2011, Nutrition)

9 trained male cyclists, average age 30, after a 10 hour fast.

Serum glucose peaked lower with the starch (7.4 versus 9.5 mM, p ≤ 0.01) and insulin far lower (2.5 versus 20.3 microIU/mL, p < 0.001), while non-esterified fatty acids (p < 0.01) and glycerol (p < 0.05) were higher. These are metabolic markers; the abstract reports no result for the ride to exhaustion.

4
UCAN Starch Before and During 3 Hours of Cycling: Sprints Unchanged
PubMed

Randomized crossover trial; a sucrose and glucose drink versus UCAN hydrothermally modified waxy maize starch, each 60 g before and 60 g per hour during exercise, plus a lower starch dose of 30 g per hour; about 3 hours of cycling ending in 10 maximal sprints; product donated by The UCAN Co. and Dymatize, supported by Florida State University, authors declare no conflict (Baur et al. 2016, Nutrients)

10 male cyclists.

Sprint performance did not differ between the matched starch and sugar drinks; both likely beat the lower starch dose by about 4 to 5 percent. The starch raised fat oxidation (about 32 percent at the matched dose) and lowered carbohydrate oxidation, but nausea during the sprints was higher with both starch doses than with the sugar drink.

5
UCAN, Glucose or Placebo Before a 5 km Run: No Performance Difference
PubMed

Randomized crossover trial; 75 g of UCAN low glycemic index modified starch, 75 g of a glucose-based drink or a noncaloric placebo 30 minutes before 30 minutes at 60 percent and 30 minutes at 75 percent of maximal oxygen uptake and a 5 km time trial; PubMed lists NIH extramural and non-US-government support (Baur et al. 2018, Med Sci Sports Exerc)

10 trained male runners.

Before exercise, glucose and insulin rose more with the glucose drink than with UCAN (p < 0.0001), and fat oxidation was less suppressed with UCAN. Fat breakdown measured by microdialysis in abdominal fat tissue did not differ at rest or while running, and running performance did not differ between UCAN, glucose and placebo.

6
SuperStarch Before Sleep: No Change in Next-Morning 5 km Time
PubMed

Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial; 75 g SuperStarch (66 g carbohydrate), 75 g of a glucose-based drink or a noncaloric placebo within 30 minutes before sleep; next-morning metabolism, graded exercise and a 5 km time trial; UCAN donated the starch, no external funding apart from modest help from a Skidmore student fund, authors declare no conflict (Dudar et al. 2020, Nutrients)

14 trained endurance athletes (8 men, 6 women), average age 28.

5 km time trial performance did not differ (p = 0.94), nor did resting metabolism, blood glucose or stomach symptoms. Carbohydrate use during the graded test only tended to be higher after the starch (p = 0.16).

7
Modified Corn Starch Versus Dextrose in a Simulated Soccer Match
PubMed

Randomized crossover trial; hydrothermally modified corn starch or the same energy as dextrose (0.7 g/kg per hour, 8 percent carbohydrate) before the match and at halftime; the abstract does not name the product, its waxy maize origin, funding or a registry number, while a registry entry by the same investigator (NCT02667340) describes Superstarch versus glucose with performance as the primary outcome (Quinones and Lemon 2019, Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab)

11 male university varsity soccer players, average age 22.

Repeated sprint performance was similar (p > 0.05). Dribbling slowed versus baseline with dextrose (15.63 versus 14.43 s) but not with the starch, and passing penalty time was lower with the starch (4.27 versus 7.73 s, p = 0.004). Blood glucose was lower 15 and 30 minutes after the starch, and the respiratory exchange ratio was lower in the first half.

8
Uncooked Waxy Maize Starch: Glucose and Insulin Response at Rest
PubMed

Randomized crossover feeding trial; 50 g of available carbohydrate as uncooked waxy maize starch, a maltodextrin and sucrose mix, or white bread, with glucose, insulin, energy expenditure and appetite followed for 4 hours; starch supplied by Tate and Lyle, funded by the US Army Natick Soldier RDECOM (Sands et al. 2009, Nutr Res)

12 young, lean, insulin-sensitive adults (6 men, 6 women).

Waxy maize gave lower 4 hour glucose and insulin responses than the maltodextrin mix (p < 0.001), driven by the first hour, and a lower insulin response than white bread (p < 0.05). Energy expenditure and appetite did not differ between treatments.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

In a cycling trial, nausea during hard sprints was higher with the modified starch taken before and during exercise than with a glucose and sucrose drink, and halving the during-exercise dose did not prevent it. Try it in training before using it in competition.
Taken as 75 g before sleep, it did not change stomach symptoms the next morning in 14 runners.
It is a digestible carbohydrate: a 75 g serving of one commercial product supplied 66 g of carbohydrate and 270 kcal, which matters for anyone counting carbohydrate or calories.
In people with glycogen storage disease using extended-release waxy maize starch as a medical food under clinical care, blood lipids and uric acid stayed unchanged over 16 weeks, and markers of metabolic control stayed stable over 2 years in a maker-funded study.

Important Drug interactions

Insulin and other glucose-lowering medicines: waxy maize starch raises blood glucose more slowly and for longer than glucose, which can change the timing of glucose and insulin needs. Discuss dose timing with your doctor before using it around exercise.
No drug interaction studies of waxy maize starch have been published. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about any supplement you take.

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Frequently asked questions about Waxy Maize Starch (Amylopectin)

What is waxy maize starch?

It is starch from corn that carries the waxy gene mutation, so it is almost all amylopectin, the branched form of starch, with little or no amylose. Sports products use it native or hydrothermally modified, which makes a high molecular weight starch that releases glucose more slowly. It is the opposite of high-amylose resistant starch, which largely escapes digestion.

Does waxy maize starch work better than glucose or maltodextrin for exercise?

Not in the trials published. It works as a carbohydrate fuel, and it gives a smaller early rise in blood glucose and insulin and more fat burning during exercise, but cycling sprints, 5 km runs and time trials were no better than with glucose, sugar or maltodextrin drinks, and no better than placebo in two runner trials. One small soccer trial found better passing scores late in a match, and in 7 cyclists, response times on one computer task got faster after 150 minutes of riding with the starch but not with a maltodextrin drink, a change within each drink rather than a direct comparison between them.

How much waxy maize starch was used in studies?

Exercise trials used about 1 g per kg of body weight 30 minutes before exercise, or 60 to 75 g before exercise, with 30 to 60 g per hour during it in one cycling trial. A soccer trial used 0.7 g per kg per hour split before the match and at halftime. Follow the product label and test your stomach tolerance in training.

How does it relate to SuperStarch, Velositol and Cluster Dextrin?

SuperStarch is a hydrothermally modified waxy maize starch from The UCAN Co., and four of the exercise trials here named it as the product tested. Velositol is a different product, an amylopectin from waxy maize combined with chromium and taken with protein. Cluster Dextrin is a highly branched cyclic dextrin, a different carbohydrate with its own separate trials, so results for one cannot be assumed for the others.

What is Waxy Maize Starch used for?

NutraSmarts does not list Waxy Maize Starch under a health category. What the research covers: In 10 cyclists, a waxy starch taken 30 minutes before 2 hours of cycling allowed more work in the final ride than placebo and about the same as glucose.

Is Waxy Maize Starch safe, and does it have side effects?

Side effects and cautions reported for Waxy Maize Starch include: In a cycling trial, nausea during hard sprints was higher with the modified starch taken before and during exercise than with a glucose and sucrose drink, and halving the during-exercise dose did not prevent it. Try it in training before using it in competition. It may also interact with some medications. Waxy Maize Starch is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does Waxy Maize Starch interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: Insulin and other glucose-lowering medicines: waxy maize starch raises blood glucose more slowly and for longer than glucose, which can change the timing of glucose and insulin needs. Discuss dose timing with your doctor before using it around exercise. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for Waxy Maize Starch?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Waxy Maize Starch as Limited (2 out of 5). It is backed by 8 study summaries and 15 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(15 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Goodpaster BH, Costill DL, Fink WJ, Trappe TA, Jozsi AC, Starling RD, Trappe SW. The effects of pre-exercise starch ingestion on endurance performance. Int J Sports Med. 1996;17(5):366-72. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-972862.PubMedUsed to support: Trial in 10 male competitive cyclists who took 1 g/kg of glucose, a waxy starch, a resistant starch or an artificially sweetened placebo 30 minutes before 90 minutes of steady cycling followed by a 30 minute self-paced performance ride. The botanical source of the waxy starch is not named in the abstract. More work was completed after glucose (434 kJ) or waxy starch (428 kJ) than after placebo (403 kJ, p < 0.05); resistant starch tended to help (p < 0.09). At rest, glucose raised serum glucose and insulin more than the starches, while responses during exercise were similar across trials. PubMed lists non-US-government support.
  2. Jozsi AC, Trappe TA, Starling RD, Goodpaster B, Trappe SW, Fink WJ, Costill DL. The influence of starch structure on glycogen resynthesis and subsequent cycling performance. Int J Sports Med. 1996;17(5):373-8. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-972863.PubMedUsed to support: Trial in 8 male cyclists from the same Ball State laboratory. After glycogen-lowering exercise, all carbohydrate in a 3000 kcal, 12 hour refeeding came from glucose, maltodextrin, waxy starch (described as 100 percent amylopectin; botanical source not named in the abstract) or resistant starch (100 percent amylose). By muscle biopsy, glycogen rose less over 24 hours with resistant starch (+90.8 mmol/kg dry weight) than with glucose (+197.7), maltodextrin (+136.7) or waxy starch (+171.8). Work in a 30 minute time trial the next day did not differ between any of the four carbohydrates.
  3. Sands AL, Leidy HJ, Hamaker BR, Maguire P, Campbell WW. Consumption of the slow-digesting waxy maize starch leads to blunted plasma glucose and insulin response but does not influence energy expenditure or appetite in humans. Nutr Res. 2009;29(6):383-90. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2009.05.009.PubMedUsed to support: Randomized trial in 12 young, lean, insulin-sensitive adults (6 men, 6 women) who on separate days took 50 g of available carbohydrate as uncooked waxy maize starch, a maltodextrin and sucrose mix, or white bread. Over 4 hours, waxy maize gave lower glucose and insulin responses than the maltodextrin mix (p < 0.001), mainly in the first hour, and a lower insulin response than white bread. Energy expenditure and appetite did not differ. The full text states the waxy maize was supplied by Tate and Lyle and the study was funded by the US Army Natick Soldier RDECOM Combat Feeding Directorate.
  4. Roberts MD, Lockwood C, Dalbo VJ, Volek J, Kerksick CM. Ingestion of a high-molecular-weight hydrothermally modified waxy maize starch alters metabolic responses to prolonged exercise in trained cyclists. Nutrition. 2011;27(6):659-65. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2010.07.008. Epub 2010 Oct 15..PubMedUsed to support: Randomized, double-blind crossover trial in 9 trained male cyclists who took 1 g/kg of a high molecular weight hydrothermally modified waxy maize starch or maltodextrin 30 minutes before 150 minutes of cycling at 70 percent of peak oxygen uptake and again within 10 minutes after it, with a ride to exhaustion at the end. Serum glucose peaked lower with the starch (7.4 versus 9.5 mM), insulin peaked far lower (2.5 versus 20.3 microIU/mL) and blood markers of fat breakdown were higher. The abstract reports no result for the ride to exhaustion and does not name the product or funder; PubMed lists non-US-government support.
  5. Bracken RM, Gray BJ, Turner D. Comparison of the metabolic responses to ingestion of hydrothermally processed high-amylopectin content maize, uncooked maize starch or dextrose in healthy individuals. Br J Nutr. 2014;111(7):1231-8. doi: 10.1017/S0007114513003619. Epub 2013 Nov 12..PubMedUsed to support: Randomized pilot comparison in 8 healthy adults (7 men, 1 woman) who took 1 g/kg of hydrothermally processed high-amylopectin maize starch (Glycosade), uncooked maize starch or dextrose, rested 2 hours, ran 60 minutes at 65 percent of maximal oxygen uptake and were followed 2 hours more. Blood glucose stayed raised longer with the processed starch (to 90 minutes) than with uncooked starch (60 minutes) or dextrose (30 minutes). Carbohydrate use during the run was 7 to 9 percent lower and fat oxidized was greater (26.2 g versus 19.6 g with uncooked starch, p = 0.04; versus 20.6 g with dextrose, p = 0.07). Funding is not stated in the abstract.
  6. Baur DA, Vargas Fde C, Bach CW, Garvey JA, Ormsbee MJ. Slow-Absorbing Modified Starch before and during Prolonged Cycling Increases Fat Oxidation and Gastrointestinal Distress without Changing Performance. Nutrients. 2016;8(7):392. doi: 10.3390/nu8070392.PubMedUsed to support: Randomized crossover trial in 10 male cyclists comparing a sucrose and glucose sports drink with UCAN hydrothermally modified waxy maize starch (named in the methods), each as 60 g before and 60 g per hour during about 3 hours of cycling ending in 10 maximal sprints, plus a lower starch dose (30 g per hour). Sprint performance did not differ between the matched starch and sugar drinks, and both likely beat the lower starch dose. The starch raised fat oxidation and lowered carbohydrate oxidation, but nausea rose during the sprints with both starch doses. The UCAN Co. and Dymatize donated product; the work was supported by the Florida State University Institute of Sport Sciences and Medicine and the authors declare no conflict of interest.
  7. Baur DA, Willingham BD, Smith KA, Kisiolek JN, Morrissey MC, Saracino PG, Ragland TJ, Ormsbee MJ. Adipose Lipolysis Unchanged by Preexercise Carbohydrate Regardless of Glycemic Index. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2018;50(4):827-836. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001498.PubMedUsed to support: Randomized crossover trial in 10 trained male runners who drank 75 g of a low glycemic index modified starch (UCAN), 75 g of a glucose-based drink or a noncaloric placebo 30 minutes before 60 minutes of running and a 5 km time trial. Before exercise, glucose and insulin rose more with the glucose drink than with UCAN, and fat oxidation was less suppressed with UCAN. Fat breakdown in abdominal fat tissue, measured by microdialysis, did not differ, and running performance did not differ between any of the three drinks. PubMed lists NIH extramural and non-US-government support.
  8. Quinones MD, Lemon PWR. Hydrothermally Modified Corn Starch Ingestion Attenuates Soccer Skill Performance Decrements in the Second Half of a Simulated Soccer Match. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2019;29(5):498-504. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0217.PubMedUsed to support: Randomized crossover trial in 11 male university soccer players given hydrothermally modified corn starch or the same energy as dextrose (0.7 g/kg per hour) before a simulated match and at halftime. Blood glucose was lower 15 and 30 minutes after the starch, and the respiratory exchange ratio was lower in the first half. Repeated sprint performance was similar. Dribbling time slowed versus baseline with dextrose but not with the starch, and passing penalty time was lower with the starch (4.27 versus 7.73 s, p = 0.004). The abstract does not name the product, say it is waxy maize, or state funding or a registry number; a registry entry by the same investigator (NCT02667340) describes Superstarch versus glucose before a simulated soccer game with performance as the primary outcome.
  9. Dudar MD, Bode ED, Fishkin KR, Brown RA, Carre MM, Mills NR, Ormsbee MJ, Ives SJ. Pre-Sleep Low Glycemic Index Modified Starch Does Not Improve Next-Morning Fuel Selection or Running Performance in Male and Female Endurance Athletes. Nutrients. 2020;12(9):2888. doi: 10.3390/nu12092888.PubMedUsed to support: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial in 14 trained runners (8 men, 6 women) who took 75 g of SuperStarch (UCAN, named in the methods; 66 g carbohydrate), a 75 g glucose-based drink or a noncaloric placebo in the 30 minutes before sleep. The next morning, resting metabolism, blood glucose, stomach symptoms and 5 km time trial performance did not differ between drinks (p = 0.94 for performance). UCAN donated the starch; the study received no external funding apart from modest help from a Skidmore student fund and the authors declare no conflict of interest.
  10. Herman C, Sandri Heidner G, Wentz LM, Shaver AA, Murray NP. Influence of modified starches on mental performance and physical activity following an exhaustive bout of exercise. Physiol Rep. 2024;12(3):e15927. doi: 10.14814/phy2.15927.PubMedUsed to support: Crossover study in which 7 of 10 recruited male cyclists completed 150 minutes of cycling at 70 percent of maximal oxygen uptake after 1 g/kg of carbohydrate before and at 120 minutes, as a UCAN hydrothermally modified starch drink or a maltodextrin sports drink (Gatorade), in random order. Blood ketones rose more with the starch, Go/no-go response times fell after cycling with the starch and did not change with maltodextrin, while N-back response times rose after cycling only with maltodextrin; these are changes over time within each drink, not a direct comparison between drinks. Funded by an East Carolina University grant; the abstract does not report blinding.
  11. Devi EL, Hossain F, Muthusamy V, Chhabra R, Zunjare RU, Baveja A, Jaiswal SK, Goswami R, Dosad S. Microsatellite marker-based characterization of waxy maize inbreds for their utilization in hybrid breeding. 3 Biotech. 2017;7(5):316. doi: 10.1007/s13205-017-0946-8. Epub 2017 Sep 14..PubMedUsed to support: Plant breeding study, not a trial in people, used here for composition only. It states that waxy corn starch is 95 to 100 percent amylopectin, compared with 70 to 75 percent in normal maize, because of a mutation in the Wx gene encoding granule-bound starch synthase I.
  12. Bhattacharya K, Mundy H, Lilburn MF, Champion MP, Morley DW, Maillot F. A pilot longitudinal study of the use of waxy maize heat modified starch in the treatment of adults with glycogen storage disease type I: a randomized double-blind cross-over study. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2015;10:18. doi: 10.1186/s13023-015-0229-6.PubMedUsed to support: Randomized double-blind crossover study in 10 adults with glycogen storage disease type Ia or Ib comparing a waxy maize heat modified starch with uncooked cornstarch, each for 16 weeks. In 7 paired starch loads, the waxy maize starch gave a longer median fast (7.5 versus 5 hours), a slower fall in blood glucose and less insulin release over the first 4 hours. Four participants could not establish therapy on the crossover limb. Plasma triglycerides, cholesterol and uric acid were unchanged. This is a medical-food use in a rare condition, cited here for population context and tolerance only.
  13. Weinstein DA, Jackson RJ, Brennan EA, Williams M, Davison JE, Boer F, Derks T, Ellerton C, Faragher B, Gribben J, Labrune P, McKittrick KM, Murphy E, Ross KM, Steuerwald U, Voillot C, Woodward A, Mundy HR. Short and long-term acceptability and efficacy of extended-release cornstarch in the hepatic glycogen storage diseases: results from the Glyde study. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2024;19(1):258. doi: 10.1186/s13023-024-03274-y.PubMedUsed to support: Randomized double-blind crossover fasting study (the Glyde study) of Glycosade, an extended-release waxy maize cornstarch, versus cornstarch in 61 people aged 2 to 62 years with hepatic glycogen storage diseases, followed for 2 years. Glycosade lengthened fasting in GSD I, 69 percent chose to continue it, and markers of metabolic control stayed stable with fewer daily doses. All sites received grant support from the maker, Vitaflo International, and two authors are Vitaflo employees. Cited for population context and longer-term tolerance only. PubMed lists an erratum (Orphanet J Rare Dis 2024;19(1):317).
  14. Guezennec CY, Satabin P, Duforez F, Koziet J, Antoine JM. The role of type and structure of complex carbohydrates response to physical exercise. Int J Sports Med. 1993;14(4):224-31. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-1021168.PubMedUsed to support: Three experiments in men who ate carbohydrate meals one hour before 2 hours of exercise at 60 percent of maximal oxygen uptake. In the third, 13C-labeled starches differing in amylose and amylopectin content and in cooking were compared: gelatinized (cooked) amylopectin was oxidized to the same extent as glucose, with progressively less oxidation from gelatinized amylose and raw amylopectin to raw amylose. The abstract does not name the botanical source of the starches or the number of participants. Cited for mechanism only.
  15. Komorowski JR, Ojalvo SP, Sylla S, Tastan H, Orhan C, Tuzcu M, Sahin N, Sahin K. The addition of an amylopectin/chromium complex to branched-chain amino acids enhances muscle protein synthesis in rat skeletal muscle. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2020;17(1):26. doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-00355-8.PubMedUsed to support: Animal study in rats by Nutrition 21 researchers, not a trial in people, cited only for the composition of Velositol. The full text describes Velositol as an amylopectin and chromium complex combining chromium from chromium picolinate and chromium histidinate with amylopectin from waxy maize (895 mg/g).