Chapter 07 - Carbohydrates

Monosaccharides

They define the single sugar units of glucose, fructose, and galactose and represent the absorbable forms of carbohydrates for the body.

Disaccharides

They define pairs of sugar units. The three nutritionally important ones to humans are sucrose, maltose, and lactose

Polysaccharides

They define glucose chains longer than 10 units in length, but they can be as large as several thousand glucose units in length.

Oligosaccharides

They define sugar units ranging from 3 to 10 units in length and are largely indigestible to humans.

Amylose

A straight-chain and digestible form of starch containing glucose molecules.

Amylopectin

A branched-chain and digestible form of starch containing glucose molecules.

Soluble fiber

A type of dietary fiber that dissolves in water to form a gel, associated with heart health benefits and glucose control.

Insoluble fiber

A type of dietary fiber that does not dissolve in water, associated with promoting bowel regularity.

Diverticulosis

A condition that occurs when pockets of collected stool called diverticula form in the walls of the digestive tract, forcing the inner layer of the intestinal wall to push through its outer lining.

Functional Fiber

A compound derived from isolated indigestible fiber to potentially provide some of the health promoting benefits of natural fiber.

Glycogen

The storage molecule of carbohydrate found in animals and located in muscle and liver cells.

Glycogenolysis

The process of breaking down the glycogen molecule into its individual glucose units for entry into the energy pathways.

Glycogenesis

The process of forming glycogen from glucose.

Triglycerides

The primary storage and transportable form of fats in the body, composed of three free fatty acids bound to a glycerol backbone.

Ketones

A group of incompletely metabolized fat fragments that are normally produced during fat metabolism in the absence of adequate carbohydrates.

Gluconeogenesis

A metabolic pathway that results in the generation of glucose from noncarbohydrate carbon substrates such as lactate, glycerol, and glucogenic amino acids.

Bolus

A mass of food that has been chewed and is now ready to initiate the swallowing process.

Duodenum

It is the first section of the small intestine where some digestion occurs. It is located immediately after the stomach and leads into the jejunum.

Chyme 

The partially digested, semi-fluid mass of food expelled by the stomach to the duodenum.  

Jejunum

It is the second section of the small intestine where digestion and absorption occur. It is located immediately after the duodenum and leads into the ileum.

Ileum 

It is the final section of the small intestine where lots of absorption occurs. It is located immediately after the jejunum and leads into the large intestine. 

Brush Border

The wall of the small intestine, composed of villi and microvilli, that enhance the region’s surface area for the final stages of digestion and absorption.

Villi

These are small, finger-like projections located on the walls of the intestine that extend into the intestinal tract that serve to increase the body’s surface area for absorption of nutrients.

Hepatic Portal Vein

The vein that transports blood from the spleen, stomach, pancreas, and the intestinal tract to the liver.

Cirrhosis

A liver disease marked by the replacement of healthy liver tissue with scar tissue that is a result of alcohol abuse.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

The development of a fatty liver resulting from excessive quantities of fats being deposited from causes that exclude alcohol.

Hyperglycemia

A condition of an abnormally high blood glucose (blood sugar) level in the blood.

Hypoglycemia

A condition of an abnormally low blood glucose (blood sugar) level in the blood.

Glycogenolysis

The process of breaking down the glycogen molecule into its individual glucose units for entry into the energy pathways.

Type 1 Diabetes

A condition in which the pancreas produces little to no insulin.

Catabolic

The breakdown of nutrients to release energy.

Glycemic Load

A method for determining how the quantity of carbohydrates consumed impact blood sugar levels.