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fat and carbs info please

D

dragongirl

Well-Known Member
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349
Location
Northumberland, UK
I keep wondering (even a year down the line!) exactly what is meant by fat slowing down the absorption of carbs. Does it mean
a) the fat goes in first and then the carb breaks down to sugar, so we'd best check much later for the effect, or
b) the fat and carb go in together hand in hand so the effect is spread out and therefore less likely to peak?
Just wondered. Sorry to be thick.
DG
 
Hope this helps DG. Quite a good explanation.

Several factors affect emptying of the stomach, including the kind of food and the degree of muscle action of the emptying stomach and the small intestine. Carbohydrates, for example, spend the least amount of time in the stomach, while protein stays in the stomach longer, and fats the longest. As the food dissolves into the juices from the pancreas, liver, and intestine, the contents of the intestine are mixed and pushed forward to allow further digestion.

Finally, the digested nutrients are absorbed through the intestinal walls and transported throughout the body. The waste products of this process include undigested parts of the food, known as fiber, and older cells that have been shed from the mucosa. These materials are pushed into the colon, where they remain until the feces are expelled by a bowel movement
Click to expand...

Source: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd/
 
DG.
Short of calling up my Endo and getting him to explain things we are a bit stuck for an answer really. Fat does affect the absorption of foods.........my own take on it is this. Just my understanding......

It's related to the GI of certain foods, starchy foods which are not classed as complex carbs break down fairly quickly and then glucose is released into your blood fairly rapidly. This all starts to happen when you begin to chew because of an enzyme called amylase which is in your saliva.

Therefore if you eat some fat it takes a little time for it to be broken down in the body, It get's technical here......stuff about molecular chains....... anyway, your body is concentrating on breaking these chains down in your intestine so it cannot devote all it's energy in dealing with the carbs. Hence it takes longer for the carbs to have an effect on your Bg levels. Fat is the cause of it slowing down, but it is a simple, but complicated process.........if you get what I mean.

I feel a headache coming on !................ :arrow:

See here for a simple answer to the question:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/bo ... stem.html#

And then there is this........a bit more technical:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 517AARZcI0

Hope that lot has been some help ?

Ken
 
cugila said:
...anyway, your body is concentrating on breaking these chains down in your intestine so it cannot devote all it's energy in dealing with the carbs. Hence it takes longer for the carbs to have an effect on your Bg levels.
Click to expand...


Thank you :D
That's what I wanted to hear. It's doing both at once. Don't really care why and how. So the answer to my query is nearer b) than a). I just was worried I might not be testing at the right moment after something a bit higher in carbs, even if taken with fat. That would be a problem since I have to eat every 3 hours to keep any weight on.

And your blackcurrant jelly was fab. Sorry to have nicked it :lol:
DG
 
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