Week 3: Carbohydrates Flashcards
(115 cards)
What is a carbohydrate?
Organic molecules containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
What is a monosaccharide?
One sugar molecule
Monosaccharides
Glucose
Fructose
Galactose
What is a dissacharide?
Two sugar molecules
Disaccharides
Sucrose
Lactose
Maltose
Oligosaccharide
2-10 sugar molecules
Oligosaccharides
Raffinose
Stachyose
What is a polysaccharide?
10 or more sugar molecules
Metabolic fate of carbs
- Primary energy source for body
- Stored as glycogen in liver and muscle
- Converted to triglycerides in adipose tissue
Carbohydrate digestion
Digestion by salivary and pancreatic amylase
Digestion in small intestine where disaccharides are broken down into absorbable monosaccharides by their enzymes
What is lactose broken down in to?
Glucose and galactose by lactase
What is maltose broken down in to?
2 glucose molecules by maltase
What is sucrose broken down in to?
Glucose and fructose by sucrase
Carbohydrate absorption
- Broken down into simplest form (monosaccharides)
- Active transport of glucose by SGLT1 permits entry into enterocyte of small intestine
- Leave enterocyte by GLUT 2 to enter blood stream
Glycogenolysis
Formation of glucose from glycogen (when glucose is depleted such as during fasting or exercising)
**liver
Glycogenesis
Formation of glycogen from glucose (occurs after a meal)
Where is glycogen stored?
Liver (100-200g)
Skeletal muscle (350-750g)
Gluconeogenesis
Formation of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources such as glycerol, lactate, pyruvate, amino acids; provides glucose when dietary intake is insufficient
Factors to consider when choosing a carb source?
- Nutrient density
- Glycemic index
- Fructose content
- Fibre content
Nutrient density
Nutrients per reference amount of food, typically 100 kcal/100g serving
Example of nutrient density
Liver has very high nutrient density
Glycemic response
Change in blood glucose after eating a carbohydrate containing food
What is persistently high levels of blood glucose linked with?
Obesity and chronic disease
Glycemic index (GI)
Scale that ranks carbohydrate containing foods/drinks by how much it raises blood glucose