CARBOHYDRATES

Learning Objectives:
• Understand the different classes of
carbohydrates
• Understand the digestion and
absorption of carbohydrates
• Learn about the function of
carbohydrates in the diet, and how they
relate to health issues
 WHAT ARE THE
CARBOHYDRATES?
• Organic compounds that contain
CARBON, HYDROGEN, and OXYGEN
in the ratio of 1 carbon atom and 1 oxygen
atom for every 2 hydrogen atoms

• Two Main Classes:

• SIMPLE (sugars)
• COMPLEX (starches and fiber)
 SIMPLE SUGARS
• MONOSACCHARIDES

• Glucose (or Dextrose)

• Galactose
• Fructose
 SIMPLE SUGARS
• DISACCHARIDES

• Sucrose
(glucose+fructose)
• Lactose
(glucose+galactose)
• Maltose
(glucose+glucose)
 COMPLEX
CARBOHYDRATES
POLYSACCHARIDES
• Starch - long chains of glucose
molecules in straight (AMYLOSE) or
branching (AMYLOPECTIN)
arrangement
• Figure 4-8, page 106
 COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES

POLYSACCHARIDES
• Glycogen – animal form of starch
(highly branched and composed of
multiple glucose molecules)
 COMPLEX
CARBOHYDRATES
• FIBER – resembles starch, but cannot
be digested
TYPES:
• Cellulose
• Hemicellulose
• Pectin
• Gums and Mucilages
• Lignans (is fiber, but not a polysaccharide)
 CLASSIFICATION of FIBER

• SOLUBLE – dissolve in water

• INSOLUBLE – cannot dissolve in
water
• Table 4-3, page 123

• Daily recommendations?
B= 1 cup orange juice
2 scrambled eggs
1 slice white toast

L= 1 cup chicken noodle soup

1 cup iceburg lettuce
1 Tbsp blue cheese dressing

D= 1 pork chop
1 cup white rice
½ cup canned corn
1 baked potato (no skin)
1 danish

S= 1 oz. cheddar
4 saltine crackers
 DIGESTION
• MOUTH - amylase
• STOMACH
• SMALL INTESTINE – pancreatic amylase,
disaccharidases, maltase, sucrase, lactase
• all three travel to the
liver through the portal
vein; galactose and
fructose are converted
to glucose
 CARBOHYDRATES in the
BODY
USE OF GLUCOSE
• Energy – glucose is the primary fuel for most cells
in the body. The brain MUST have glucose!
• Sparing body protein – if glucose is scarce, the
body will breakdown its own protein.
• Preventing ketosis – with no carbohydrate, fat
breakdown produces ketone bodies. Can lead to
ketosis.
• Storage as glycogen – liver stores are used to
maintain blood sugar, while muscle stores are used
to fuel activity.
 REGULATING BLOOD
GLUCOSE LEVELS

• Insulin – lowers blood glucose

• Glucagon – raises blood glucose
• Epinephrine – “fight-or-flight”
hormone
 GLYCEMIC INDEX
• Classifies food or meals based upon their potential
to raise blood glucose levels
• Expressed as a percentage of the response to a
standard carbohydrate, usually white bread or pure
glucose
• Useful? – decreased risk of NIDDM, heart
disease, and colon cancer
• Useless? – complex, research may not support it

• page 116
 HIGH BLOOD SUGAR -
Diabetes
• Type I – Insulin Dependent Diabetes
Mellitus (IDDM) or Juvenile Onset
• Type II – Non Insulin Dependent
Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) or Adult
Onset
 HIGH BLOOD SUGAR -
Diabetes
RISK FACTORS
• Type I – genetics
• Type II – genetics, >45 years old,
overweight, sedentary, low HDL or
high triglycerides, certain racial or
ethnic groups, gestational diabetes
Page 639
 HIGH BLOOD SUGAR -
Diabetes
CONSEQUENCES
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Deterioration of the eye
• Kidney disease
• Progressive nerve damage
• Heart disease
 CARBOHYDRATES in the
DIET

• Recommendations
• Current consumption
• Increasing complex carbohydrate
• Moderating sugar intake
 CARBOHYDRATES and
HEALTH - Sugar

• Sugar and nutrient intake: empty

calories
• Sugar and dental caries: ex. baby-
bottle tooth decay
 Sugar Substitutes
 Saccharine (Sweet & Low) 0 kcals/g
 Sucralose (Splenda) 0 kcals/g
 Aspartame (Nutrasweet) 4 kcals/g
 Sugar Replacers
Isomalt 2.0 kcal/g
Lactitol 2.0 kcal/g
Maltitol 2.1 kcal/g
Mannitol 1.6 kcal/g
Sorbitol 2.6 kcal/g

“Sugar-Free” does not necessarily mean free of

calories!
 High Fructose Corn Syrup?
 Produced by milling corn to produce corn
starch, then processing that corn starch to
yield corn syrup (almost entirely glucose),
and then adding enzymes which change the
glucose into fructose

 Are all sugars the same? Page 118

 CARBOHYDRATES and
HEALTH – Complex
Carbohydrates
A diet rich in complex carbohydrates lowers
the risk of:
• Obesity
• Type II Diabetes
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Gastrointestinal Disorders
 Compared to Whole Wheat, White
Bread is Missing:
 96% of Vitamin E
 78% of Fiber
 72% of Magnesium
 62% of Zinc
 78% of Vitamin B6
 Plus Phytochemicals
How Does Soluble Fiber Reduce Cholesterol?
 Two Ways…
 Enterohepatic Circulation of Bile (page 149
“Bile’s Routes”)
 Bacterial by-products of fiber fermentation
in the large intestine inhibit cholesterol
synthesis in the liver
 Fiber Supplements
 Benefits?
 Risks?