Digestion of Major Nutrients - Carbohydrates - Sugars

4 important questions on Digestion of Major Nutrients - Carbohydrates - Sugars

What are the types of sugars in carbohydrates?

1. Complex sugars = polysaccharides (lactose, sucrose, maltose)
2. Simple sugars = monosaccharides (glucose, galactose, fructose)

What does the luminal phase of sugar digestion do?

Salivary enzymes and pancreatic enzymes break down starch into polysaccharides

What does the membrane phase of sugar digestion do?

Enzymes attach to brush border of SI and break down polysaccharides to monosaccharides
  • Sucrase: Sucrose
  • Lactase: Lactose
  • Isomaltose: Dextrose
  • Maltase: Maltotriose and maltose
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How are monosaccharides absorbed?

1. Na+ symporters in enterocytes (glucose and galactose) (e.g. SGLT1, glucose-Na+ symporter 1:2 ratio)
2. Facilitated diffusion via uniporters in enterocytes (fructose)

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