Chapter 32, Problem 7RQ

Summary Introduction

To trace: The pathway depicting the digestion and the final absorption of carbohydrate in the vertebrate gut, naming the carbohydrate-splitting enzymes, the region in which they are found, the breakdown products of starch digestion and the form in which they are finally found.

Introduction: Carbohydrates are absorbed as simple sugars such as glucose, fructose, and galactose. The enzyme pancreatic amylase splits the starch molecules. Also, the cells in the intestine have enzymes that help break down carbohydrates into simple sugars. Once broken down, these sugars then move through active and passive transport across the intestinal epithelium into the blood for absorption and delivery to the organs.