The nurse is planning an educational program for community members on ways to improve nutritional intake. What information should the nurse include about carbohydrate digestion and metabolism?

Question

1. Enzymes are needed to digest carbohydrates.
2. The breakdown of carbohydrates results in simple sugars.
3. Carbohydrates are a major source of body energy.
4. The simple sugar glucose provides a readily available source of energy.
5. Pancreatic amylase enhances the use of glucose by the body cells.

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 1,2,3,4
Rationale 1: Major enzymes of carbohydrate digestion speed up chemical reactions.
Rationale 2: The desired end products of carbohydrate digestion are monosaccharides. Some simple sugars are already monosaccharides, and require no digestion.
Rationale 3: Carbohydrate metabolism is a major source of body energy.
Rationale 4: After the body breaks carbohydrates down into glucose, some glucose continues to circulate in the blood to maintain blood levels and to provide a readily available source of energy.
Rationale 5: Insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, enhances the transport of glucose into cells.