Describe how dietary carbohydrates is absorbed and how it is

Describe how dietary carbohydrates is absorbed and how it is distributed in the body.

Solution

Carbohydrates form one of the major classes of macronutrients that are required for proper functioning of the body. The digestion and absorption of carbohydrates occurs in the gastro-intestinal tract, and those that do not get digested are eliminated from the body via the colon.

Dietary carbohydrates include all carbihydrates that are obtained from the dieat and can be metabolized to release energy. Dietary carbohydrates are usaully in the form of starch and simple sugars. Starch is a long polysaccaride chain made of repeating units of glucose, linked together in alpha-glycosidic bond. along with starch, there are other forms of sugars such as lactose, fructose and sucrose that are commonly found in the diet. On consumption of these carbohydrates, the first step of digestion occurs in the buccal cavity ( mouth) with the help of the enzyme called as alpha-amylase. This enzyme breaks down the complex chain of starch in to smaller units. The oligosaccarides are further acted upon by enzymes in the intestine, namely glocosidase, lactase and sucrase. The function of all these enzymes is to break down and convert the various oligosaccarides into single units of glucose molecules.

Once glucose is available in free form, it is absorpbed into the blood stream via the gastro-intestinal tract. The blood then carries the glucose to different tissues and cells. With the help of insulin, individual cells take up glucose inside themselves. This is followed by several biochemical pathways, which mainly oxidize the glucose and use the potential energy to produce ATP molecules.