Complex carbohydrate digestion

Acarbose is a nonabsorbable a-glucosidase inhibitor which blocks the digestion of starch, sucrose, and maltose. The digestion of complex carbohydrates is delayed and occurs throughout the small intestine rather than in the upper part of the jejunum. Absorption of glucose and other monosaccharides is not affected. Acarbose is adrninistered orally three times a day and chewed with the first mouthful of food. 

When a-glucosidase activity is inhibited, carbohydrate digestion is prolonged and takes place further along the intestinal tract. This in turn delays and spreads the period of glucose absorption, which reduces the extent of the postprandial rise in blood glucose concentrations. The effectiveness of a-glucosidase inhibitors is dq en-dent on the consumption of a meal rich in complex carbohydrate. 

Digestion starts in the mouth, where saliva breaks down starch (a complex carbohydrate) into sugar (a simple one). This is why chewing on a piece of bread for a long time makes it start to taste... 

Cummings, J.H. 1984. Microbial digestion of complex carbohydrates in man. Proc Nutr Soc 43 35. 

What is the fundamental difference between the digestion of fats and that of complex carbohydrates (starches) and proteins What role is played by bile salts in the digestion of fats ... 

Amylase Converts starchy complex carbohydrates to sugars Digestion... 

By the end of the small intestine, deposition is almost complete and there is no need for intestinal secretions to aid assimilation. The principal role of the colon is to resorb water and reclaim sodium however, complex carbohydrate components of vegetable origin have nutritional value but are relatively resistant to attack from intestinal secretion. In the caecum, a complex bacterial environment digests the soluble, fermentable carbohydrates to yield short-chain fatty acids, which are assimilated into the systemic circulation by the colon, together with vitamin K released from the plant material. 

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor Inhibits alpha glucosidase, the digestive enzyme in the small intestine that is responsible for the release of glucose from the complex carbohydrates in the diet. 

We typically consume in our diets a generous amount of starch and a smaller amount of glycogen. These complex carbohydrates must be converted into simpler carbohydrates for absorption by the intestine and transport in the blood. Starch and glycogen are digested primarily by the pancreatic enzyme a-amylase and to a lesser extent by salivary ot-amylase. Amylase cleaves the a-1,4 bonds of starch and glycogen, but not the ot-1,6 bonds. The products are the di- and trisaccharides maltose and maltotriose. The material not digestible because of the a -1,6 bonds is called the limit dextrin. 

The digestion of complex carbohydrates in the lower parts of the small intestine and upper part of colon, as is the case with natural eating habits, has a stronger stimulating effect on gastrointestinal... 

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