Chapter 4: Carbohydrates, Diabetes - Lecture Review

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms related to carbohydrates, their digestion, regulation, dietary recommendations, and alternative sweeteners from Chapter 4 of the NUTRITION lecture.

Carbohydrates

A macronutrient, an important energy source (especially for nerve cells), composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and found in fruits, vegetables, and grains.

Glucose

The most abundant carbohydrate, the preferred source of energy for the brain, and an important energy source for all cells.

Simple Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates that contain one or two molecules, including monosaccharides and disaccharides.

Monosaccharides

Simple carbohydrates containing only one molecule, such as glucose, fructose, galactose, and ribose.

Disaccharides

Simple carbohydrates containing two molecules, such as lactose, maltose, and sucrose.

Lactose

A disaccharide composed of glucose + galactose; also called milk sugar.

Maltose

A disaccharide composed of glucose + glucose; maltose molecules join in food to form starch molecules.

Sucrose

A disaccharide composed of glucose + fructose; found in sugar cane, sugar beets, and honey.

Complex Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates that store glucose as polysaccharides, including starch, glycogen, and fiber.

Starch

The storage form of glucose in plants; found in grains, legumes, and tubers.

Glycogen

The storage form of glucose in animals; stored in the liver and muscles, but not found in food.

Dietary Fiber

The nondigestible part of plants.

Functional Fiber

Nondigestible form of carbohydrate with known health benefits, extracted from plants and added to foods (e.g., cellulose, guar gum, pectin, psyllium).

Total Fiber

The sum of dietary fiber and functional fiber.

Soluble Fiber

Fiber that dissolves in water, is viscous and fermentable, easily digested by bacteria in the colon, and found in citrus fruits, berries, oats, and beans. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Insoluble Fiber

Fiber that generally does not dissolve in water, found in whole grains and many vegetables, and promotes regular bowel movements, alleviates constipation, and reduces the risk of diverticulosis.

Gluconeogenesis

The process of converting proteins in blood and tissue into glucose when the diet does not provide enough carbohydrates.

Ketones

Alternate energy sources produced when sufficient energy intake from carbohydrates is lacking; excessive ketones can lead to high blood acidity and ketoacidosis.

Ketoacidosis

A condition of high blood acidity resulting from excessive ketones, which damages body tissues.

Diverticulosis

A condition characterized by the presence of diverticula (small pouches) in the colon wall, which fiber can help reduce.

Pancreatic Amylase

An enzyme produced in the pancreas and secreted into the small intestine, which enzymatically digests starch to maltose.

Maltase

An enzyme secreted by cells lining the small intestine that digests maltose into monosaccharides.

Sucrase

An enzyme secreted by cells lining the small intestine that digests sucrose into monosaccharides.

Lactase

An enzyme secreted by cells lining the small intestine that digests lactose into monosaccharides.

Glycogenesis

The process where excess glucose is converted to glycogen and stored in the liver and muscles.

Insulin

A hormone secreted by the pancreas that helps transport glucose from the blood into cells and stimulates the liver and muscles to convert glucose to glycogen.

Glucagon

A hormone secreted by the pancreas that stimulates the breakdown of glycogen to glucose and stimulates gluconeogenesis (production of new glucose from amino acids).

Glycogenolysis

The breakdown of stored glycogen into glucose, stimulated by glucagon.

Glycemic Index

A measure of a food’s ability to raise blood glucose levels.

Glycemic Load

The amount of carbohydrate in a food

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Carbohydrate

130 g per day for adults, primarily to supply the brain with glucose.

Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) for Carbohydrate

45–65% of total daily Calorie intake.

Added Sugars

Sugars added to foods during processing or preparation, common in soft drinks, cookies, candy, and fruit drinks, and often have fewer vitamins than naturally occurring sugars.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

A type of corn syrup where part of the sucrose is converted to fructose, making it sweeter than sucrose or regular corn syrup (typically 42% to 55% fructose).

Whole Grains

Kernels that retain the bran, endosperm, and germ, providing more fiber and nutrients than refined grains.

Bran

The outer protective layer of a whole grain kernel, rich in fiber and nutrients.

Endosperm

The starchy inner part of a whole grain kernel, primarily providing carbohydrates.

Germ

The embryo of a whole grain kernel, containing healthy fats, B vitamins, and vitamin E.

Enriched (or Fortified) Grains

Grain products to which nutrients (a minimum amount of iron, folate, niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin) have been added back after refining.

Refined Grains

Grain products where the coarse parts of the food, such as the bran and germ, have been removed, leaving primarily the endosperm.

Whole-Grain Flour

Flour made from grain that is not refined, milled in its complete form with only the husk removed.

Whole-Wheat Flour

An unrefined, whole-grain flour made from whole-wheat kernels.

Nutritive Sweeteners

Sweeteners that contain 4 kcal energy per gram, such as sucrose, fructose, honey, and brown sugar.

Sugar Alcohols

Sweeteners that contain 2–3 kcal energy per gram

Non-nutritive (Alternative) Sweeteners

Sweeteners that provide little or no energy.