Starch is one of the main sources of human dietary energy. The digestive characteristics of starch directly affect its nutritional value and physiological function. Due to the different sources and structure of starch， the existence of other components in food， and the influence of food processing process， the digestion characteristics of starch are varied significantly. This paper-reviewed the recent reports on starch digestibility. The intrinsic （starch granule structures and other components of food） and extrinsic factors （physical， chemical and biological） that affect starch digestion were fully introduced. Meanwhile， how to regulate the starch digestibility also was discussed briefly. We hope this review would provide theoretical guidance for the development of slow digestion or anti-digestion starchy food.