Case Study

MOOC on Biochemistry
Module-7
Carbohydrates (Part-1)
CASE STUDY:
Case Study 1 – Lactose Intolerance
LactoseIntolerance
Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, which is a type of sugar found in milk
and other dairy products. Lactose intolerance happens when the small intestine does not make
enough of the enzyme lactase. Not having enough lactase is called lactase deficiency. Babies'
bodies make this enzyme so they can digest milk, including breast milk.
Lactose intolerance can begin at different times in life. In Caucasians, it usually affects
children older than the age of 5. In African Americans, lactose intolerance often occurs as early
as the age of 2. Lactose intolerance is more common in people with Asian, African, Native
American, or Mediterranean ancestry than it is among northern and western Europeans. Lactose
intolerance is very common in adults and is not dangerous.
Causes of lactose intolerance include, bowel surgery, infections in the small intestine from
viruses or bacteriathat might damage the cells lining the intestine (most often in children) and
intestinal diseases such as celiac sprue (a disease condition that damages the lining of the small
intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy).
Symptoms often occur 30 minutes to 2 hours after one eats or drinks milk products, and
are often relieved by not eating or drinking milk products. Large doses of milk products may
cause worse symptoms. Symptoms include abdominal bloating, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea,
gas (flatulence) and nausea. Infants or children may have slow growth or weight loss.
Management of lactose intolerance involves decreasing or removing milk products from

the diet, which usually improves the symptoms. One can add lactase enzymes to regular milk or
take these enzymes in capsule or chewable tablet forms. Not having milk in the diet can lead to a
shortage of calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin and protein. So the patients may need to find new ways
Case Study 2 – Relative Sweetness Values
Relative Sweetness Values
The following represent the sweetness of a few carbohydrates as compared to sucrose

which has a relative sweetness value of 100%.
Note: DE stands for dextrose equivalent, which is a measure of the amount of reducing sugars
present in a sugar product, relative to dextrose(D-glucose), expressed as a percentage on
a dry basis. Hence, asubstance with a DE of 10 would have 10% of the reducing power of
dextrose (which has a DE of 100).
Example:
If a mixture contained 6%of 36 DE Corn Syrup and 10% sugar, the relative sweetness will
be:
Case Study 3 – Glycaemic Index
The glycaemic index, glycemic index or GI is a measure of

the effects of carbohydrates in food on blood sugar levels. It estimates
how much each gram of the available carbohydrate (total
carbohydrate minus fiber) in a food raises a person's blood glucose
level following consumption of the food, relative to consumption of
glucose. Glucose has a glycemic index of 100, by definition, and other
foods have a lower glycemic index. Glycemic index is defined for each
type of food, independent of the amount of food consumed. The
glycemic load account for the amount of food consumed and is
calculated in terms of glycemic index.
GI values can be interpreted intuitively as percentages on an
absolute scale and are commonly interpreted as shown in the
following table.
A low-GI food will release glucose more slowly and steadily, which leads to more suitable
postprandial (after meal)blood glucose readings. A high-GI food causes a more rapid rise in blood
glucose levels and is suitable for energyrecovery after exercise or for a person experiencing
hypoglycemia.The glycemic index can be applied only to foods with substantial carbohydrate
content, as the test relies onsubjects consuming an amount of the test food containing 50 g of
available carbohydrate. Many fruits and vegetables(but not potatoes) contain very little
carbohydrate per serving, and the average person is not likely to eat 50 g ofcarbohydrate from

Case Study

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Case Study

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Case Study

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MOOC on Biochemistry

Management of lactose intolerance involves decreasing or removing milk products from

Relative Sweetness Values

The following represent the sweetness of a few carbohydrates as compared to sucrose

The glycaemic index, glycemic index or GI is a measure of

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.