1.

In this video I will tell you about the chemistry of carbohydrates

2.

Carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients in our diet besides

fat and protein

3.

But what are carbohydrates really? What is their chemical composition?

4.

Carbohydrates can be separated into simple carbohydrates sometimes

referred to as sugars and complex carbohydrates

5.

But for now we'll concentrate on the simple carbohydrates, which can
be separated into monosaccharides and disaccharides

6.

The monosaccharides are glucose, fructose and galactose,the

disaccharides are composed of these three monosaccharides

7.

We have maltose which is composed of two molecules of glucose, we

have sucrose which is composed of a molecule of glucose linked to fructose
and we have lactose which is composed of glucose linked to galactose

8.

All these mono and disaccharides exist in our diet with the exception of
galactose which is only present in our diet as part of lactose

9.

The monosaccharides can be directly absorbed into our bloodstream so

they don't require any digestion

10.

However the disaccharides need to be broken down to the individual

monosaccharides, this process is part of normal digestion and is called
hydrolysis

11.

We can break down the disaccharides into the individual

monosaccharides through hydrolysis

12.

And as an example we can have sucrose, which is an important part of

our diet , it is table sugar

13.

And it can undergo hydrolysis to yield the individual monosaccharides

glucose and fructose

14.

Through that process we are able to utilise the energy that is available in
the disaccharides by forming the monosaccharides which can be subsequently
absorbed into the bloodstream and used as an energy source
Animation: Chemistry of carbohydrates part 2

1.

In the previous video we talked about simple carbohydrates and we said

that they often referred to as the sugars

2.

That they include the monosaccharides and disaccharides

3.

However in colloquial terms sugar is most often used to describe

crystalline table sugar, which in chemical terms is sucrose

4.

When we talk about blood sugar actually refers to glucose in the blood

5.

There are also other sugars: invert sugar or inverted sugar is a mixture
of equal amounts of glucose and fructose

6.

It is produced by enzymatic cleavage of sucrose into the two individual

monosaccharides

7.

Invert sugar is a little bit sweeter than sucrose and has a number of
industrial uses including in the production of alcoholic beverages

8.

It is also used by food manufacturers to retard the crystallization of

sugar and to retain moisture in the packaged food

9.

A natural form of invert sugar is actually honey

10.

Many of you've heard about of high fructose corn syrup

11.

What is High-fructose corn syrup?actually it is a mixture of glucose and

fructose and it originates from corn

12.

Corn-starch is subjected to several enzymatic steps that convert starch

into glucose, followed by the partial conversion of glucose into fructose

13.
14.

About one-fourth of HFCS is water

The final ratio of glucose and fructose can differ, and that is expressed
in a number following the abbreviation HFCS

15.

Thus, HFCS 55 ,which is actually abundantly used in soft drinks, contains

55% fructose and 45% glucose

16.

Other common HFCS varieties are HFCS 42 which is used in beverages,

processed foods, cereals, and baked goods and HFCS-90 which is mainly used
to blend with HFCS 42 to make HFCS 55

17.

There is a lot of discussion about HFCS and their portential detrimental

on health, those issues will be discussed later in the course
Animation: Chemistry of carbohydrates part 3

1.

Weve looked at the chemistry of carbohydrates and weve seen that

they can be separated into simple and complex carbohydrates

2.

Weve discussed the simple carbohydrates and now well focus on the
complex carbohydrates

3.

What are complex carbohydrates?

4.

Actually they're also referred to as polysaccharides and there are three

main groups , we have: Glycogen, which is a very minor component of our
diet , we have the starches, which is a very important component of our diet
and we have fibres, which well discuss separately in a later video

5.

So lets focus on the starches and on specifically the amylopectin and

the amylose component of the starch because starch is basically a polymer of
glucose

6.

So many glucose molecules linked together in either a linear chain which

is called amylose or a branched chain which is called amylopectin and together
they form starch

7.

Now depending on the type of food : rice, bread, corn , the type of
starch is in a different conformation

8.

But they all conform to the same standard chemical composition as

outlined here; its a mixture of amylose and amylopectin

9.

So basically what you end up with after digestion is purely glucose

Animation: Chemistry of carbohydrates part 4

1.
2.

In this video I will discuss dietary fiber, what is dietary fiber?

3.

Dietary fiber describes a chemically diversed group of non-digestible

carbohydrates

4.

Most of the carbohydrates in our can be digested by the enzymes in the

GI tract and can subsequently be absorbed into the bloodstream as
monosaccharides

5.

However a portion of the carbohydrates present in foods can not be

broken down by the digestive enzymes and will reach the colon mostly intact

6.

It?s this portion that we refer to as dietary fiber and in the colon dietary
fiber may be subjected to fermentation by the resident bacteria

7.

There are a number of definitions of dietary fiber, but one of the more
simple ones is : Dietary fibers are : dietary carbohydrates that are not subject
to digestion by endogenous enzymes but may be digested by bacteria in the
colon

8.

Dietary fiber is sometimes referred to as: non starch poly-saccharides

9.

However this classification would exclude the lignins and resistant

starch and is thus not fully correct

10.

The most common classification separates dietary fiber into two main
classes : the soluble or viscous fibres and the in-soluble or non-viscous fibres

11.

There is another classification that distinguishes fiber between three

categories: fiber naturally occurring in the food as consumed, fiber obtained
from food raw material by physical, enzymatic or chemical means and
synthetic carbohydrate polymers

12.

The reason for differentiating between fiber already present in the food
which is the first category and fiber added to the food which is the second and
third category, is that the beneficial property of fiber naturally present in the
food have been scientifically well validated

13.

Whereas there are fewer data on potential health benefits of added

fiber

14.

People are told to eat plenty of fiber as fiber supports proper function of
the GI tract and prevents constipation and in addition fiber has several other
health benefits which we?ll discuss later in the course

15.

Our daily fiber intake hovers around 20 gr in most western countries but
some people may not even reach 10 gr per day whereas intake of other people
easily exceeds 40 gr per day

The text and pictures below provide additional information about the
chemistry of dietary fiber for those of you who would like to know more
about this topic. It falls outside the scope of the MOOC

Chemistry of dietary fiber

SOLUBLE FIBER
As discussed previously, dietary fiber can be separated into soluble (viscous)
and insoluble (non-viscous) fiber. Whether a particular type of dietary fiber is
soluble in water and should therefore be classified as soluble or viscous fiber is
determined by its physiochemical properties. Soluble fiber is a chemically
heterogenous group that includes pectins and some hemicelluloses.
Pectin describes a heterogenuous group of polysaccharides whose key feature
is the abundant presence of galacturonic acid. Pectin is often added during
food manufacturing to impart gelation, viscosity, texture and protein stability.
It is used in food products such as jams and jellies because of its ability to form
stable gels. The chemical structure of pectin is shown at the bottom.
Hemicellulose describes a diverse set of polysaccharides composed of
different monosaccharides. Apart from glucose, these monosaccharides
include xylose, mannose, galactose, rhamnose, and arabinose. Hemicelluloses
are part of the cell wall of plants. Xylan (glucuronoxylan, arabinoxylan),
mannans glucomannan, and xyloglucan are examples of hemicelluloses.

Arabinoxylans are abundant in various cereals (wheat, rye, barley, oat, rice,
corn). They are the major hemicellulose component of flour and bran. The
active ingredient in psyllium is an arabinoxylan. It consists of highly branched
acidic arabinoxylan comprising of xylan backbone chain with xylose and
arabinose forming the side chains. Psyllium is one of the most widely used
fiber supplements in the world and added to food as a laxative.
The mannans can be separated into galactosemannans and glucomannans.
The major galactosemannan is guar gum. It also called guaran and is obtained
from guar beans. In chemical terms, guar gum is a polysaccharide composed
of the sugars galactose and mannose. Xanthan gum is a glucomannan
resembling guar gum. It is a polymer of glucose, mannose, and glucuronic acid.
Both guar gum and xanthan gums are used extensively in the foods
manufacturing as food thickening agent due to its high viscosity. Foods that
contain guar or xanthan gum include yogurt, salad dressing, bakery products,
ice cream, etc.
Fructans are polymers of fructose. Fructans with a short chain length are
known as fructooligosaccharides. The best known representative of the
fructans are the highly fermentable inulins. Some glucose moieties can be
present in inulin. Different inulins are distinguished based on the degree of
polymerization. The plant most commonly used for extraction of inulin is
chicory. Inulin is naturally present in various foods, such as asparagus, leek,
onions, and banana. In addition, inulin is added to foods as a functional prebiotic food ingredient to confer a health benefit. The chemical structure of
inulin is shown below.

INSOLUBLE FIBER
Insoluble or non-viscous fiber is insoluble and less fermentable. Certain
insoluble fibers such as cellulose are not fermented at all.
Cellulose is a linear chain of glucose, similar to amylose, except that the
glucose units are linked in such a way that our digestive enzymes cannot break
them. As a result, cellulose leaves the human body completely undigested.
Ruminants such as cows have special bacteria in their stomach that produce
cellulase, allowing them to break down cellulose and thus utilize cellulose for
fuel.
Unlike other dietary fibers, lignins do not belong to the carbohydrates. They
are complex polymers of aromatic alcohols. It is the second most abundant
natural polymer in the world, next to cellulose.
Hemicellulose describes a diverse set of polysaccharides composed of
different monosaccharides. They have been discussed under soluble fibers.
Resistant starches are starches that are not subject to regular digestion in the
GI tract. Resistant starch has the same glucose linkages as regular starch but is
folded differently. Depending on the type, they may be partially fermented in
the colon by the gut microbiota. Resistant starch can be divided into distinct
groups:
RS1: physically inaccessible starch (coarsely ground or whole kernel grains),
RS2: granular starch (uncooked potato, unripe banana flour), RS3: retrograded
starch (cooked and cooled starchy foods), RS4: chemically modified starches.

Multiple choice questions

Answer the following questions to check if you understand the material.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

(8/8 points)
Which of the following is not a monosaccharide
Fructose
Maltose Maltose - correct
Galactose
Which of the following is a disaccharide?
Lactose Lactose - correct
Glucose

Fructose

Glucose

Amylose

Lactose is composed of the following two mono-saccharides:

Glucose and glucose
Glucose and fructose
Glucose and maltose
Glucose and galactose Glucose and galactose - correct
A. High fructose corn syrup consists of glucose and fructose
B. Invert sugar is produced by enzymatic cleavage of sucrose into glucose and
galactose
A is true, B is true

A is false, B is false

A is false, B is true

A is

true, B is false A is true, B is false - correct

A. After digestion, sucrose and HFCS present in US soft drinks provide similar
amounts of fructose
B. Starch is built up solely from glucose units
A is true, B is true A is true, B is true - correct
false, B is true

A is false, B is false

A is

A is true, B is false

The following questions are extra questions covered in the extra part on the
chemistry of dietary fiber
The following is a soluble fiber:
Resistant starch
Pectin Pectin - correct

Cellulose

Lignins

A. Lignin is a polysaccharide
B. Cellulose is a polysaccharide
A is true, B is true
A is false, B is false
is true - correct

A is false, B is true A is false, B

A is true, B is false

A. Guar gum is part of the hemicelluloses

B. Inulin is part of the fructans
A is true, B is true A is true, B is true - correct
false, B is true

A is false, B is false

A is

A is true, B is false

Assignment
Drag the right answer to the right place and check if the answers are correct.

DROPDOWN
(8/8 points)
At least half of the energy in our food is derived from __________, principally
from __________, but also from simple sugars. Carbohydrates are classified as
__________ carbohydrates (the __________ ) or simple carbohydrates (the
__________ saccharides and disaccharides). Each of the three disaccharides
__________, __________ and maltose contains a molecule of glucose paired with
either __________, galactose or another glucose.
Carbohydrates - correct
Carbohydrates

starch

complex

starches

mono

sucrose

starch - correct
complex - correct
starches - correct
mono - correct
sucrose - correct

lactose

fructose

lactose - correct
fructose - correct

Introduction to carbohydrate
content of foods
WHY
to be able to estimate your personal carbohydrate intake, to have insight into
which foods contribute most to our own carb intake
LEARNING OUTCOME
to know the approximate carb (including fiber) content of major foods, to know
the major carbs sources across the world
KEY TOPICS
Fiber, sugar, starch, carbohydrate rich foods.

Carbohydrate content of foods

As you can see in the table below, many foods are high in carbohydrates. The
predominant sources of carbohydrate in most peoples diet are starchy foods
such as wheat, corn, rice, cassave and potatoes. The raw forms of these foods
(e.g. whole wheat, brown rice etc) also contain substantial amounts of fiber,
which is mostly lost during processing. Many foods are rich in carbohydrates
due to their high sugar content, which is present naturally (as in fruits) or
added during processing. Crystalline table sugar is 100% carbohydrate in the
form of sucrose.
More information about the composition of foods and food composition tables
can be found here and here.

Concentrations of macronutrients
in food

Sources of dietary fiber

Plant foods in their natural form usually contain substantial amounts of fiber.
The table below provides estimates of the total fiber content of many foods.
Most high fiber foods contain a mixture of dietary fibers although the main
type of fiber present can differ considerably between various foods. Processing
of food often leads to loss of fiber. White rice contains much less fiber than
brown rice. Orange juice contains less fiber than an actual orange. White bread
contains less fiber than whole wheat bread. Sometimes, the colour can be
deceiving. Many breads in the Netherlands are made to look like whole wheat
bread but its main ingredient is white flour, not whole wheat flour. Other

breads are made to look like white (to make it more appealing to children) but
have fiber added. Always check the list of ingredients.
Animal products including milk and milk products contain little to no fiber.
Sometimes, fiber is added to yogurt to create a functional foods.

Fiber content of common foods

Multiple choice questions

Answer the following question to check if you understand the material.

MULTIPLE CHOICE
(4/4 points)
Which carbohydrate can be found in a steak ?
triglyceride
glycogen glycogen - correct

fructose

The following fiber is added to foods as a thickening agent:

inulin
resistant starch
guar gum guar gum - correct

amylose

corn starch

Which of the following is a common source of resistant starch ?

Apple
Baked potato
Boiled rice
Unripe banana Unripe banana correct
Which of the following statements is true?

A. Brown sugar contains substantial amounts of fiber

B. Peeling an apple removes most of the dietary fiber
A is true, B is true
A is false, B is false A is false, B is false - correct
is false, B is true

A is true, B is false

Expand your knowledge

The answer on the next questions can be found outside the course material of
this MOOC.

MULTIPLE CHOICE
(2/2 points)
Look up the amount of carbohydrates in the following foods and select the
sequence that shows the proper ranking of foods from high to low
carbohydrate content (per 100 grams) ?
banana, white bread, whole milk, apples
whole wheat bread

cookie, granola, pancake,

honey, milk chocolate, ketchup, apple honey, milk

chocolate, ketchup, apple - correct

dark chocolate, oats, cheese, peas

look up the amount of carbohydrates in the following foods and select 4 items
which contain approximately the same amount of carbohydrate (per 100
grams):
potato, banana, grape juice, pasta (boiled) potato, banana, grape juice,
pasta (boiled) - correct

cheese, sesame oil, salmon, beer

sprouts, whole milk, alcohol free beer, coca cola

muffin, marshmellows

brussels

wheat bread, chocolate,

Carbohydrate digestion and

absorption
The next animation shows how carbohydrates are digested in the alimentary
tract.

1.

In the next video I will discuss carbohydrate digestion and absorption

2.

We first need to remember what dietary carbohydrates require any

digestion in the first place before they can be absorbed

3.

And those include : starch, a polymer of glucose and the three

disaccharides : sucrose, maltose and lactose.

4.

Lets start in the mouth we know that we produce saliva

5.

6.

Saliva contains an enzyme called: Amylase and Amylase is able to break

down starch to some degree
Because as soon as you swallow the food and it enters the stomach.

7.

The salivary amylase is quickly inactivated by the acidity of the stomach

and no further digestion is taking place

8.

And digestion doesnt restart again until the food reaches the
duodenum; the first part of the small intestine

9.

Where the pancreatic juices added to the food, the pancreatic juice
contains an enzyme called : pancreatic amylase

10.

Thats also a starch degrading enzyme and through its action, starch the
polymer of glucose, is broken down into much smaller units; ultimately
maltose, the disaccharide of two glucose subunits\R

11.

So we end up with: Maltose, Sucrose and lactose as the disaccharide

that need further digestion before they can be absorbed

12.

And the body has the appropriate enzymes to be able to breakdown

those three disaccharides to the monosaccharides

13.

We have an enzyme called Lactase, to breakdown lactose, We have an

enzyme called sucrase to breakdown sucrose and we have an enzyme called
maltase to breakdown maltose\R

14.

At the end we end up with the three monosaccharides, Glucose

predominantly ,galactose and fructose

15.

Lets follow those three monosaccharides, a I pointed out theyre

produced in the small intestine and they need to be absorbed into the
bloodstream.

16.

And this happens after uptake by the intestinal cells, the so called :
Enterocytes

17.

The part of the enterocytes that borders the interior of the small
intestine has special transporters

18.

That allows these cells to take up the monosaccharides.On the other

side of the cell there is the bloodstream

19.

There is another set of transporters to transport the monosaccharides

from the interior of the cell to the bloodstream

20.

And what is important to realize is that once they enter the bloodstream
the monosaccharides immediately go through the portal vein to the liver

21.

They are not distributed across the body.They first go to the liver so the
liver can decide on what happens to these monosaccharides

22.

Actually that means that for fructose, most of the fructose, is actually
cleared or almost all of it is cleared ,so no fructose reaches the tissues outside
the liver

23.

Whereas for glucose actually substantial amount of glucose continue to

go through the rest of the body. Thats the situation for the digestible
carbohydrates

24.

What about some of the non-digestible carbohydrates or dietary fiber.

The definition of dietary fiber is that it is not subject to digestion by our normal
digestive enzymes

25.

That separates it from the digestible carbohydrates that we just

discussed.That doesnt mean there is no digestion at all because depending on
the type of fiber there can be some digestion taking place in the large intestine
or colon

26.

That happens through the microbiota, the bacteria that reside in the
colon and we call this fermentation

27.

Depending on the type of bacteria present you get different products of

fermentation but an important class of products are the so-called short chain
fatty acids

28.

But as we can obviously recognize as many of us have experienced

when we eat too much fiber at a single meal. There is other gasses produced
and that gives rise to flatulence or gas production\R

29.

Lets zoom in a little bit more on these microbiota and specifically on

some of these products. We talked about : Short chain fatty acids, they
include :Acetate, Propionate and butyrate

30.

And theyre believed to be at least partially responsible for the beneficial

effects of fiber,fiber reaches the colon, is fermented, produces the short chain
fatty acids and the short chain fatty acids are absorbed in the cells locally

31.

But also may travel further away for instance reaching the liver and have
positive effects elsewhere.On top of that we produce other gasses: Methane
being one of them, hydrogen sulphate being a very foul smelling one and there
is other gasses that we produce\R

32.

Nowadays there is a lot of interests in the role of dietary fiber and

especially in the role of the gut microbiota

33.

Because we are increasingly realizing that a lot of the beneficial effects

of dietary foods of dietary nutrients may be mediated through changes in the
gut microbiota

34.

There is a lot of research activity going on trying to figure out how the
microbiota is changing in response to certain dietary changes and also what
the impact of the changes in the microbiota may be on human health

35.

And for many diseases were finding links and hopefully in the next few
years well get a lot more insight into the importance of the gut microbiota

36.

So in short what Ive told you How dietary carbohydrates are digested,
that essentially we require a number of enzymes mainly amylase and various
disaccharidases that break down the starch and the disaccharides into
monosaccharides That the non-digestible carbohydrates or dietary fiber ends
up in the colon where it is subjected to digestion or fermentation by the
bacteria that reside there and that can give rise to various products including
short chain fatty acids

Multiple choice questions

Answer the following questions to check if you understand the material.

MULTIPLE CHOICE
(3/3 points)

Which of the following is not an enzyme involved in carbohydrate digestion ?

sucrase
galactase galactase - correct
lactase
amylase

What statement about carbohydrate absorption is FALSE?

dietary carbohydrate can reach the bloodstream within 30 minutes after
consumption

glucose is taken to the liver via the portal vein

absorbed fructose is processed in the liver

all of the

fructose and glucose are absorbed via

the same transport mechanism fructose and glucose are absorbed via the same

transport mechanism - correct

The enzymes required for the full digestion of starch to glucose are:

salivary amylase and pancreatic amylase

pancreatic amylase and maltase - correct

pancreatic amylase and maltase

sucrase and lactase

sucrase and

salivary amylase

Introduction to carbohydrate
metabolism
WHY
to be able to judge possible health effects attributed to certain types of carbs
LEARNING OUTCOME
to know what happens to glucose once it enters into our bloodstream
KEY TOPICS
Blood glucose, insulin, glycogen, muscle, liver.

Carbohydrate metabolism
This animation shows how carbohydrates are metabolised in the body.

ANIMATION: CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM

1.

One the main nutrients in our diet is carbohydrate

2.

Previously weve looked at how carbohydrate is digested in the GI tract

and absorbed into the bloodstream

3.

Today in this video well look in more detail at what happens to

carbohydrates, what happens to the monosaccharides once theyre absorbed
into the bloodstream

4.

How they are distributed across the body and how is that regulated

5.

Consider the situation after a meal, after a meal your blood glucose level
will go up and that increase in blood glucose level will trigger the pancreas to
release a hormone called insuline

6.

Insuline has two major actions: It stimulates the uptake of glucose into
tissues and it stimulates the conversion of glucose into the storage form of
glucose which is called glycogen

7.

The consequence of those two actions is that blood glucose levels go

down

8.

After a while the decrease in blood glucose level will trigger the
production of another hormone by the pancreas which is called glucagon

9.

Glucagondoes the exact opposite of insuline, so it promotes to

breakdown of glycogen and thereby it contributes glucose to the bloodstream

10.

It helps maintain blood sugar levels during periods of fasting when no

food is coming into the body

11.

As a result blood glucose level is maintained and the cycle restarts again

12.

Lets discuss in a little bit more detail the storage form of glucose called
glycogen and there are two organs in the body where we store glycogen

13.

The first one is the liver, and basically glycogen is a polymer of glucose
that resembles starch

14.

It is formed after a meal when blood glucose levels are high but it is
broken down during fasting when you dont eat, when you need to maintain
your blood sugar levels

15.

That process of glycogen break-down is triggered by glucagon

16.

It leads to release of glucose units into the bloodstream and therefore

maintenance of the stable blood sugar level

17.

What about glycogen in the muscle? Glycogen in the muscle has a very
different function

18.

Glycogen in the muscle cannot contribute to maintenance of blood

sugar level.

19.

Glycogen in muscle is used locally, inside the muscle where it is stored

and it provides energy for that particular muscle

20.

Particularly during high intensity exercise

21.

If you would start running up the stairs the glycogen that is in stored in
your thigh muscles, would be used as an energy source

22.

It would be broken down to glucose and the glucose would be

immediately used in the muscle cell to provide energy

23.

We can store excess glucose, we can store excess carbohydrates in the

form of glycagin in muscle and liver

24.

But what is these stores are filled up? What if we overconsume on

carbohydrates? That these two stores already filled up

25.

Then we have the possibility to convert glucose into fat, we can convert
carbohydrate into fat

26.

The body has that ability, which means if you overeat on sugar, you can
become obese very easily

27.

The opposite cannot happen meaning we cannot convert fat into

carbohydrate

28.

That is a serious limitation that especially has its impact during fasting
because it causes our body to break down very valuable tissues to provide
glucose, when we are for instance in a state of fasting or famine

29.

But overall the point that I want to make today is that glucose
metabolism is carefully regulated

30.

The main aim is to maintain stable blood sugar levels and the reason for
that is that the body can only function, the brain can only function if it gets a
sufficient amount of glucose

31.

So the body has developed an intricate mechanism that involves certain

hormones, insulin, glucagon but also others to maintain the blood sugar level

32.

We can store glucose in the form of glycogen in liver and muscle and we
can convert carbohydrate into fat if we consume too much of it

Glycemic index
Carbohydrate-containing foods differ in their ability to raise blood glucose
levels, which has been translated into the so called glycemic index (GI). Strictly,
the glycemic index is defined as the incremental area under the blood glucose
response curve of a specific portion of a test food expressed as percentage of
the response to the same amount of carbohydrate from a standard food taken
by the same subject. In more simple terms, the glycemic index describes the
relative increase in blood glucose after consuming a particular food in
comparison with a standard food. Foods that have a high GI cause a more
pronounced increase in blood glucose, whereas foods with a low GI cause a
shallow increase in blood glucose.
The GI of a food is determined by the type of carbohydrate(s) present in the food, the
food matrix, and by the presence of other macronutrients in the food. GI tables imply
that the GI is constant for a particular food, but there is major variation depending on
variety, ripeness, cooking methods, and processing. The GI may also vary between
individuals and within an individual depending on the time of the day, prior food
consumption etc.
Food that have a high GI include white bread, white rice, glucose, and potatoes. Food
with low GI include beans, whole grain cereals (oats, brown rice, wheat, rye), and most
fruits and vegetables. Interestingly, fructose has a low GI.
The major criticism of the GI is that it is defined for isolated foods (which we rarely eat
in isolation) and that it fails to take into account the total amount of carbohydrate
consumed. In response, the glycemic load was introduced which represents the

multiplication of the glycemic index of the food in question by the carbohydrate

content of the actual serving.

Multiple choice questions

Answer the following questions to check if you understand the material

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

(6/6 points)

When glucose levels fall, the liver:

releases glucagon

stores glucose as glycogen

glycogen breaks down stored glycogen - correct

Which statement about insulin is not true:

it is produced by the beta-cells of pancreatic islets

glucose and amino acids into cells

decreased after a meal - correct

breaks down stored

makes glucose from fat

it promotes the uptake of

levels are decreased after a meal levels are

it is a protein

A standardized ranking of foods according to their potential for raising blood

glucose:
glycemic index glycemic index - correct

glucose tolerance

glycemia

glucose ranking

What hormone is released quickly under physical stress to stimulate an

increase in blood glucose concentration?
insulin

secretin

glycogen

epinephrine epinephrine - correct

Which of the following statements is correct?

insulin is released after a meal and raises blood glucose levels

released after a meal and raises blood glucose levels
fasting and lower blood glucose levels

glucagon is

insulin is released during

glucagon is released during fasting and

raises blood glucose levels glucagon is released during fasting and raises blood

glucose levels - correct

Which of the following statements is true?
A. Fructose is used as a fuel by many tissues including muscle
B. The only two organs that release glucose into the bloodstream are liver and
small intestine
A is true, B is true

true - correct

A is false, B is false

A is false, B is true A is false, B is

A is true, B is false

Section exam
MULTIPLE CHOICE
(7/8 points)

Sucrose consists of glucose paired with:

fructose fructose - correct
glucose

saccharose

galactose

A. Starch is composed of numerous glucose molecules linked together

B. Resistant starch is the same as cellulose
A is true, B is true

A is false, B is false

false A is true, B is false - correct

Digestion of starch takes place in:

A is false, B is true

A is true, B is

Stomach and small intestine

Stomach and large intestine

intestine Mouth and small intestine - correct

Mouth and small

Mouth and stomach

A. Meats and cheeses do not contain any dietary fiber

B. Regular orange juice is a good source of dietary fiber
A is true, B is true
A is false, B is false A is false, B is false - incorrect
false, B is true

A is

A is true, B is false

Which of the following cannot be hydrolysed to glucose in humans?

sucrose
starch
glycogen
cellulose cellulose - correct

Which of the following statements is false:

insulin promotes uptake of glucose into tissues

levels of insulin in the blood

are highest when waking up levels of insulin in the blood are highest when
waking up - correct
insulin and glucagon are produced by the pancreas
glycogen in muscle is only available as an energy source for local use

The main function of carbohydrate in the body is:

to serve as energy source for tissues to serve as energy source for tissues correct

to provide materials for synthesizing cell membranes

to synthesize fat

to trigger the release of insulin

A. Glycogen stored in liver serves to maintain blood glucose levels during

fasting
B. Glycogen stored in muscle serves as a fuel for intensely contracting muscle

A is true, B is true A is true, B is true - correct

false, B is true

A is false, B is false

A is

A is true, B is false

Personal Food Quest

Its time to look critically at what you eat! Keep a diary of everything you eat
during the coming 48 hours. You will need this food diary the coming weeks, as
many principles described in the course will be applied to your food diary.
During these 48 hours, make photos of your meals and snacks with the Food
for Health app. This will help you to keep track of what you eat and will show
what you eat to all other participants in the course! You can see what
participants worldwide are eating in the tab All around the World.
How to keep a food diary:

Divide what you eat into four categories: breakfast, lunch, diner, and
snacks.

Write down what you eat throughout the day; making a list at the end of
the day may make you forget items.

Be accurate on portion size ! Think about a bowl of cereals. Your bowl of

cereals may be twice as big than your neighbours bowl. Instead, try to
estimate the amount of grams or cups.

Go digital! There are plenty of apps available for your smartphone that
can help you keep track of your food and macronutrient intake.
Example of a random Dutch food diary:
Meal

Time

Quantity

Food & Drinks

Breakfast

7.30 am

200 mL

Coffee

2 slices

Bread

15 g

Butter

15 g

Chocolate Sprinkles

Snack
Lunch

Snack

10 am
12.45 am

3.00 pm

1 slice

Old Gouda Cheese

150 mL

Full-fat yoghurt

200 mL

Coffee

Muffin

200 mL

Milk

200 mL

Tea

4 slices

Bread

Boiled egg

2 slices

Old Gouda Cheese

25 g

Sliced sausage

330 mL

Coke

1 small bar Mars

Snack

4.30 pm

Apple

Evening meal

6.00 pm

1 dish

One portion of Nasi with Sateh sauce.

Containing approximately 100 g or
white basmati rice, 100 g of mixed
vegetables, herbs, 30 g of Sateh sauce,
and 100 g of pork meat.

Snack

8.30 pm

200 mL

Tea

Biscuits

Adapted from: http://www.geldersevallei.nl/944/aan-tafel-voorbeeldeetdagboek-ouders-gang-1

You are very welcome to ask your questions at the forum below. When you
open the forum, please first click 'show discussion' below. You can check
wheter or not someone else already aksed the same question or started the
discussion about the topic of your interest.