Digestion & Enzymes & Absorption of Carbs

Did you ever wonder what kind of adventure your breakfast had once it entered your mouth? How does the whole blood sugar thing work? Why am I so hungry all the time…how can I control my hunger?

I will explain a few different things that go on in your body to better explain the method behind all the the “health tips” out there.: “Eat every 3-4 hours”, “don’t eat fruit alone”, “control your blood sugar for weight control”, “Eat some greek yogurt”, “take probiotics”,  and so on.

Bear with me…..

Blood Sugar Control:

Carbs, whether good, bad, simple, complex, evil or not, are the chief source of energy for ALL our bodily functions, and needed in digestion and assimilation of other foods. Carbohydrates help to regulate protein and fat metabolism; and fats need carbs for their breakdown within the liver.

When we eat carbohydrates, they are first digested in the stomach, then absorbed in the  intestines then into the bloodstream where they are absorbed in the form of glucose (blood sugar). When your blood sugar rises, insulin gets released to “clean up” your blood stream by transporting the energy into your cells. Normal blood glucose levels are between 80 & 120 mg/dl, when it falls under 80 is when we start to feel hungry, and the body reacts by slowing down your metabolism to save energy. When your blood sugar level rises ABOVE 120, insulin quickly cleans up the blood, and the quicker blood sugar rises, the quicker they will drop.

Because blood glucose control is extremely important for people with diabetes, several studies have been done to see how different foods affect blood glucose levels. One study that explains a rise and drop in blood sugar levels based on foods we eat was the “gastric emptying time test”. You may of heard before that you should always eat protein, carbs and fat together–this is because, according to the theory, the longest time that carbs will stay in your stomach is 1 hour, while protein takes 2 hours to digest and fats take 3-5 hours (which is why you feel may full for hours after eating a heavy, high fat meal, and why you would be ravenous 30 minutes after eating only a piece of fruit).  According to this study, combining a protein a carb and a fat is best for blood sugar control, and eating every 3.5 – 4 hours should prevent that “ravenous” feeling.

Digestive Enzymes

Digestion begins in the mouth when the enzyme  salivary amylase starts to break down starch using alpha amylase (a mucus) that actually causes particles to stick together and lubricates the mass for easier swallowing. This food mass is called a bolus, which will then pass through the pharynx, on to the esophagus for it to be swallowed. Peristalsis then moves the food quickly into the stomach. It is then that active chemical digestion begins in the middle portion of the stomach where gastric juice mixes in and turns the food to semi-liquid ( 50% water).

Some people may have issues (gas, bloating, discomfort) when they eat too many foods that humans have a hard time digesting. Hydrocloric acid (which is one of the components of gastric juice), is a key factor in breaking down protein molecules consisting of many amino acids so they can later be absorbed in the small intestine, where bacteria will attempt to break them down. The gas, bloating and discomfort comes in because we do not have some of the necessary enzymes to break down certain foods (plant proteins, beans, soy protein). These healthy foods contain fiber, and raw foods have naturally occurring  enzymes, which are both crucial for gastrointestinal health (and for lowering cholesterol, and decreasing total energy intake)– however,  our stinky, puffy tummy’s may not like it so much all the time. This is why it is so important for anyone that experiences these symptoms to include  probiotics and other digestive enzymes into their diet. Unlike, Franken-foods that our bodies do not digest (highly processed foods & meats), which actually deplete us of the enzymes we DO have! More on that in a bit.

Enzymes are broken down  into three different categories: Metabolic enzymes, which work within the cells to regulate energy production and detoxification; Digestive enzymes: which break down foods and make them available to the body for use; and Food Enzymes: which are naturally present in raw foods, and perform the first stage of breakdown of that food.

Without enzymes, life would not exist. Enzymes catalyze and regulate every biochemical reaction in the human body; such as metabolism, nerve function,reproduction,  immunity, digestion and energy production. When a person is deficient in enzymes, they become susceptible to disease and degeneration.

The modern diet, high in processed foods which destroys these naturally-occurring enzymes, is very deficient in food enzymes.  When you are eating a lot of meats and processed foods, it places a lot of stress on your body when trying to break down these foods; this one of the reasons why  eating foods as close to their natural state is crucial for good health. Highly processed foods put our bodies through the ringer, and causes our liver (one of the bodies detox organs) to work overtime trying to clean out the waste. See, your body loves you and wants you to be healthy, so it will do whatever it can to process any garbage you put into it.  This includes ANYTHING that your body would not recognize as FOOD.  In turn, you age quicker, you develop medical issues, and your body breaks down from all of the abuse you put it through.

Absorption of Carbs

As I said earlier, the  enzyme, salivary amylase starts breaking down starches in the mouth when you begin to chew, hydrolyzing  starches into dextrins and maltose until it gets to the stomach where it’s put to a stop by the contact of hydrochloric acid. The stomach usually empties itself before significant digestion can occur, if the carb were to stay in the stomach long enough, the breakdown could reduce much of it to the monosaccharide stage; so instead, the digestion of carbs occurs mainly in the small intestine.

Carbs are broken down and take different pathways throughout  the body (the liver being one) to get to your cells. To better understand, we can break it down into the complex and simple

Simple Carbs:

Monosaccharides (single sugars)

Glucose
Fructose
Galactose

Disaccharides (two sugars)

Sucrose
Lactose
Maltose

Complex Carbs:

Polysaccharides (long-chains of sugars):

Glycogen
Starch
Dextrin
Cellulose

When we eat carbohydrates, foods get broken down into glucose (immediate energy) and glycogen ( reserve energy). The ultimate goal in carbohydrate digestion & absorption is to send all available carbs into small compounds that that body can use and use (mainly glucose and fructose). The longer chain carbs (complex)  take longer to breakdown, where the simpler carbs, such as disaccharides, only need to be split one time. Splitting of the larger carbohydrates begin in the mouth (as I said before), and the final splitting and absorption occur in the small intestine; and where it is then sent to the liver to be converted to glucose and released into the blood stream. According to the gastric emptying time study, when we combine carbs with a protein and a fat, it slows gastric emptying time, which in result, helps to control your blood sugar levels.

Why is High Fructose Corn Syrup SO bad for us??

I explained earlier  how foods get broken down into glucose and released in the blood stream, where insulin then carries it to your cells to to stored for energy. When you overload with sugar, your insulin works overtime, and eventually all this constant abuse will turn into insulin resistance (type II diabetes). Insulin is a good thing, we need insulin, but we need to keep it under control. High-fructose corn syrup is made by changing the sugar (glucose) in cornstarch to fructose ? another form of sugar. The end product is a genetically modified combination of fructose and glucose–which is a problem because this highly concentrated version of fructose causes our insulin to work overtime…especially since it is in virtually EVERYTHING on the supermarket shelves. This type of fructose goes right into fat storage, and may be the reason behind the childhood obesity epidemic, which has lead to CHILDREN developing “adult-onset,” diet related, type II diabetes.

So what about artificial sugars?

This is a question I get quite often.

How I feel about them: I categorize them as  franken-foods. I am scared of franken-foods…when I ate them, I was 35 pounds heavier than I am now. Remember when I said our body had a hard time recognizing things we eat, that are not real food? Well, artificial sweetener is one of those things. Did you know that the Diet soda container at the movie theater needs to be replaced every few months, opposed to the regular soda dispenser?  What do you think that’s doing to your insides????

Artificial sweeteners are what?s called an excitotoxin , and what they can do is re-train your metabolism to not recognize the calories in sweet foods. In theory, according to several studies, they “excite” the part of your brain that controls appetite and release a hormone called neuropeptide Y that increases appetite and stores fat.

They are also endocrine disruptors,  aggravating  your cortisol levels and wiping out your adrenal glands!

This is enough for me to stay away from it….however,  I’ll give you the flip side and some history:

Saccharin (Sweet n’ Low® )–Has been around for over 100 years, first manufactured by Coco Cola through their supplier Monsanto (check out that link to see more about their background). It was banned, then it wasn’t, there were warning labels on soda bottles, there was a link to cancer, then their wasn’t.

Saccharin is 300-500  times sweeter than regular sugar, and has a metallic, bitter aftertaste. Saccharin is one of the most studied food additives in the food industry today. Even though research indicates saccharin is safe for human consumption, there has been controversy over its safety. The basis for the controversy is based primarily on findings of bladder tumors in some male rats fed high doses of sodium saccharin.

from Wiki:

Studies in laboratory rats during the early 1970s linked saccharin with the development of bladder cancer, resulting in the United States Congress mandating that all food containing saccharin bear a warning label. In 2000, the warning labels disappeared because scientists learned that rats have a unique combination of high pH, high calcium phosphate, and high protein levels in their urine.[18][19] One or more of the proteins that is more prevalent in male rats combines with calcium phosphate and saccharin to produce microcrystals that damage the lining of the bladder. Over time, the rat’s bladder responds to this damage by over-producing cells to repair the damage, and this leads to tumor formation. This does not occur in humans, so there is no bladder cancer risk.The delisting of saccharin led to legislation, which was signed into law on December 21, 2000, repealing the warning label requirement for products containing saccharin.

Aspartame (e.g., NutraSweet® and Equal®)–Aspartame is said to taste similar to sugar, but is 200 times sweeter tasting than sugar

There have been more reports to the FDA for aspartame reactions than for all other food additives combined!

Aspartame was originally approved for use in dry foods in 1974
Soon after approval,  John Oloney,  a professor of psychiatry and prominent critic of MSG, along with James Turner, a public-interest lawyer and author of an anti-food-additive book, filed a petition for a public hearing, citing safety concerns.
An investigation was then pending into alleged improprieties in safety studies for aspartame and several drugs.
The Department of Justice instituted grand jury proceedings against Searle for fraud in one of its drug studies. In December 1975, the FDA placed a stay on the aspartame approval, preventing Searle from marketing aspartame.


40% of aspartame by mass is broken down into aspartic acid, (aspartate), an  amino acid. At high concentrations, aspartate can act as an excitotoxin, inflicting damage on brain and nerve cells
Some aspartame critics, particularly those in weight loss communities, claim that aspartame contributes to weight gain and obesity due to purported spikes in the insulin levels. The argument holds that aspartame causes the body to secrete excess insulin. If true, this could lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, and possibly type II diabetes
Aspartame defenders say that recent studies have shown that aspartame does not increase glucose nor insulin blood levels and cannot be directly linked to insulin resistance or diabetes.
Food safety authorities worldwide have set acceptable daily intake (ADI) values for aspartame at 40 mg/kg of body weight based on a 1980 Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives recommendation.


Based on government research reviews and recommendations from advisory bodies such as those listed above, aspartame has been found to be safe for human consumption by more than ninety countries worldwide.

According to the researchers, consuming a lot of aspartame can disturb:

The metabolism of amino acids


Protein structure and metabolism


The integrity of nucleic acids


Neuronal function


Endocrine balances

Sucralose (also known as Splenda®)–

from The Lethal Science of Splenda:

The chemical sucralose, marketed as “Splenda”, has replaced aspartame as the #1 artificial sweetener in foods and beverages. Aspartame has been forced out by increasing public awareness that it is both a neurotoxin and an underlying cause of chronic illness worldwide. Dr. James Bowen, Researcher and biochemist, reports:

“Splenda/sucralose is simply chlorinated sugar; a chlorocarbon. Common chlorocarbons include carbon tetrachloride, trichlorethelene and methylene chloride, all deadly. Chlorine is nature’s Doberman attack dog, a highly excitable, ferocious atomic element employed as a biocide in bleach, disinfectants, insecticide, WWI poison gas and hydrochloric acid.

“Sucralose is a molecule of sugar chemically manipulated to surrender three hydroxyl groups (hydrogen + oxygen) and replace them with three chlorine atoms. Natural sugar is a hydrocarbon built around 12 carbon atoms. When turned into Splenda it becomes a chlorocarbon, in the family of Chlorodane, Lindane and DDT.

“It is logical to ask why table salt, which also contains chlorine, is safe while Splenda/sucralose is toxic? Because salt isn’t a chlorocarbon. When molecular chemistry binds sodium to chlorine to make salt carbon isn’t included. Sucralose and salt are as different as oil and water.

Apparently chlorocarbons are never nutritionally compatible with our metabolic processes and are wholly incompatible with normal human metabolic functioning. When chlorine is chemically reacted into carbon-structured organic compounds to make chlorocarbons, the carbon and chlorine atoms bind to each other by mutually sharing electrons in their outer shells. This arrangement adversely affects human metabolism because our mitochondrial and cellular enzyme systems are designed to completely utilize organic molecules containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other compatible nutritional elements.

Dr. Bowen believes ingested chlorocarbon damage continues with the formation of other toxins: “Any chlorocarbons not directly excreted from the body intact can cause immense damage to the processes of human metabolism and, eventually, our internal organs. The liver is a detoxification organ which deals with ingested poisons. Chlorocarbons damage the hepatocytes, the liver’s metabolic cells, and destroy them.

Sugar Alcohols

Remember the “net carb” craze?  I do! I remember subtracting those suckers from my low carb bread and sugar-free ice cream bars 9 years ago. What a hoax. The ONLY carb that can be subtracted from a label is fiber. You think this net carb thing contributed to expanding waistlines a bit?

Downfall of Sugar alcohols:

Gastrointestinal side effects such as bloating and diarrhea when eaten in excessive amounts.
Large amounts increase blood sugars
Weight Gain in over consumption

Xylitol is the sugar alcohol of choice, the bacteria in our teeth love it, as they do sugar (which causes cavities and dental problems), however, as opposed to sugar, which feeds bacteria to grow and multiply, xlitol can not be digested by the bacteria in our mouth, which causes it to blow up and die. This is why those dentist recommended chewing gums helps your teeth to be “bacteria-free.”

Stevia

The latest craze is Stevia. The newest sweetener on the market that does not effect blood glucose levels. Stevia is currently heralded as the best thing on the market. Others warn that it needs further testing before its long-lasting side effects can be determined.

Positives:

It’s made from a plant
It has been used for centuries as a healing herb in South America
Studies have shown it to lower blood cholesterol levels
Lowers blood sugar levels (which can also be a bad thing if diabetics get too low, so they much check their glucose levels if consuming a good amount of stevia)
Has been shown to have antibacterial properties when used orally and topically
Aids on calcium formation
Stevia has undergone numerous toxicity tests. None of these tests have shown any harmful effects.
Stevia has been added to a number of food products in Japan since the mid 1970s. No indications of any significant side effects have yet been reported after more than 20 years of use.
Almost every toxicity test imaginable has been performed on Stevia extract [concentrate] or stevioside at one time or another. The results are always negative. No abnormalities in weight change, food intake, cell or membrane characteristics, enzyme and substrate utilization, or chromosome characteristics. No cancer, no birth defects, no acute and no chronic untoward effects. Nothing.”

Negatives:

Companies that are marketing Stevia sweeteners, such as Truvia, only use a small percentage of Stevia, making it a genetically modified version of the sweetener. This makes me uneasy.
Some people have reported digestive upsets, dizzyness and headaches when using Stevia.
Few pre-mature studies has linked stevia to reproductive problems, and energy metabolism, read more  here.

My conclusion…I think the pros and cons on Stevia explain themselves. However, I will not use it regularly in my diet… only in moderation. I am unsure how if effects your brain and cravings for sweets, therefore, I have been trying to cut out most added natural sugars in my diet…again, only in moderation. I will use it from time to time, usually I alternate my teas between honey, agave and stevia in the winter when I drink the most!I recommend using stevia extract (powder or liquid)  over the packets and mixed stevia sweeteners. When you look at a box of truvia, check out how much stevia is actually used, and get back to me on what you think! Also, note that it’s important to realize that your body craves sweets when you’re not giving it the proper fuel it needs!

Thanks for baring with me on this one! A lot of info…..and I had to cut this back by half….twice. Hopefully you enjoyed reading it!

Let me know your thoughts on artificial sweeteners, sugar and appetite control!

From a former Equal and Splenda junkie. It used to go in my bran flakes or fiber one every single morning. Followed by 2 or 3 black coffees.

Artificial Sweetener-Free since 2005.

xoxo

-L