Question

How can you say that the carbohydrates are not digested in the stomach?​

Answer 1

Answer:

Carbohydrates are not chemically broken down in the stomach, but rather in the small intestine. Pancreatic amylase and the disaccharidases finish the chemical breakdown of digestible carbohydrates. The monosaccharides are absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to the liver.

Answer 2

Carbohydrates are not digested in the stomach due to the absence of necessary enzymes:

• The stomach is responsible for the initiation of the digestion of proteins present in the food and not the carbohydrates.
• The stomach contains the following cells:

1. Mucous neck cells: secrete mucus and line the luminal surface of the stomach.
2. Parietal cells: secrete hydrochloric acid (HCl)
3. Chief (zymogenic) cells: secretes pepsinogen which is an inactive form of the protein-digesting enzyme.

• The high concentration of HCl in the stomach makes it very acidic and lowers down the pH to 2.
• This acidic condition activates pepsinogen to form pepsin, which is responsible for protein digestion. It does not act on carbohydrates.
• The stomach doesn't have the necessary enzymes to digest carbohydrates.
• Carbohydrates are digested in the small intestine by the action of enzymes like disaccharidase, etc.