Case 1 What's in your favorite snack
maandag 25 augustus 2025 20:22
Point of interest:
- Differences in SAT or unSAT
- Different types of sugar (within food, snickers, banana or milk) --> effect on the body
- Differences in syn/non syn nutrients
- Are the sync sugars the same as artificial sweeteners?
- Why is high fructose corn syrup/ aspartame bad?
- Recommended daily value sugar (snicker vs banana)
- Does 0 cal mean it's healthy?
- What are sugars, fats chemically made of, how does the body process?
Learning goals:
- Chemical structure of sugar and fats
- Ability to draw simple fat/sugar structure
- How does the digesting of the sugar and fat work?
- Why does the body need sugar and fats?
- Different type sugar/fat in banana, sugar (chemically, structure, type)
- Artificial sugar
- Fatty acid (useful, relevant in the case context
Chemical structure of sugar and fats
Sugar
Sugars or carbohydrates are compounds of carbon ©, hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O).
There are two types of carbohydrates, the simple sugars and the carbohydrates that are made of long chains of sugars - the complex ones.
Simple sugars: All carbohydrates are made up of units of sugar also called saccharides.
Carbohydrates that contain only one sugar unit (monosaccharides) or two sugar units (disaccharides) are referred to as simple sugars. The most common ones are glucose and
fructose.
Monosaccharides: They have a formula of (CH₂O)n and most of the time they contain three to seven carbon atoms.
Most of the oxygen atoms in monosaccharides are found in hydroxyl (OH) groups, but one of them is part of a carbonyl (C=O) group, the position of this group can be used to
categorize the sugars.
Disaccharides: When two monosaccharides join together true a dehydration reaction (condensation reaction). In the process, the hydroxyl group of one monosaccharide
combines with the hydrogen of another, releasing a molecule of water.
Complex sugars: Complex carbohydrates are polymers of the simple sugars. In other words, long chains of simple sugar units bond together. They are called polysaccharides.
Polysaccharides: A long chain of monosaccharides linked by glycosidic bonds. The chain can be branched or unbranched and may contain diffrent types of monosaccharides. The
molecular weight can reach quite high, up to 100.000 Daltons or more.
Fats
The chemical structure of fats, are also called triglycerides, consists of a glycerol backbone and three fatty acid chains attached true ester linkages.
Glycerol is a small alcohol, and fatty acids are long hydrocarbon chains with a carboxyl (OH) group at one end.
Fats always have one polar tail and one not polar tail.
Formation of a Fat molecule:
1. Dehydration Synthesis - the hydroxyl groups of the glycerol react with the carboxyl groups of the fatty acids.
2. Ester Linkages - These reactions form the ester linkages (covalent bonds), where a oxygen atom connects the fatty acid's carboxyl group to the glycerol's atom
3. Water release - three molecules of water are released during the formation
Saturated: Fatty acid chain with only single bonds between carbon atoms, are flexible and straight
Unsaturated: Fatty acid chains with one or more double bonds, are more curved creating kinks in the chain.
How does the digesting of the sugar and fat work?
Sugar
The digestive system works like a giant food processor. During digestion, starches and sugars are broken down both mechanically (e.g. through chewing) and chemically (e.g. by
enzymes) into the single units glucose, fructose, and/or galactose, which are absorbed into the blood stream and transported for use as energy throughout the body.
Everything needs to be broken down back to mono and then the blood can absorb it.
1. Mouth - chewing breaks down food, and the enzyme amylase starts to break down starches
2. Stomach - the acidic environment can also contribute to the chemical breakdown of sugars.
3. Small intestine - this is where most of the chemical digestion of sugars takes place
- Enzymes, like amylase and α-Glucosidase secreted form the pancreas, break down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars.
- Enzymes such as sucrase break down disaccharides (sucrose) into glucose and fructose.
- Lactose, found in milk is broken down into glucose and galactose.
4. Absorption - once broken down into units, these monosaccharides are absorbed by the cells lining the small intestine.
5. Transport - The absorbed sugar enter the bloodstream and are transported to the liver and other body cells
6. Energy and Storage - Cells use glucose for immediate energy, or the liver and muscles can store it as glycogen for later use.
maandag 25 augustus 2025 20:22
Point of interest:
- Differences in SAT or unSAT
- Different types of sugar (within food, snickers, banana or milk) --> effect on the body
- Differences in syn/non syn nutrients
- Are the sync sugars the same as artificial sweeteners?
- Why is high fructose corn syrup/ aspartame bad?
- Recommended daily value sugar (snicker vs banana)
- Does 0 cal mean it's healthy?
- What are sugars, fats chemically made of, how does the body process?
Learning goals:
- Chemical structure of sugar and fats
- Ability to draw simple fat/sugar structure
- How does the digesting of the sugar and fat work?
- Why does the body need sugar and fats?
- Different type sugar/fat in banana, sugar (chemically, structure, type)
- Artificial sugar
- Fatty acid (useful, relevant in the case context
Chemical structure of sugar and fats
Sugar
Sugars or carbohydrates are compounds of carbon ©, hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O).
There are two types of carbohydrates, the simple sugars and the carbohydrates that are made of long chains of sugars - the complex ones.
Simple sugars: All carbohydrates are made up of units of sugar also called saccharides.
Carbohydrates that contain only one sugar unit (monosaccharides) or two sugar units (disaccharides) are referred to as simple sugars. The most common ones are glucose and
fructose.
Monosaccharides: They have a formula of (CH₂O)n and most of the time they contain three to seven carbon atoms.
Most of the oxygen atoms in monosaccharides are found in hydroxyl (OH) groups, but one of them is part of a carbonyl (C=O) group, the position of this group can be used to
categorize the sugars.
Disaccharides: When two monosaccharides join together true a dehydration reaction (condensation reaction). In the process, the hydroxyl group of one monosaccharide
combines with the hydrogen of another, releasing a molecule of water.
Complex sugars: Complex carbohydrates are polymers of the simple sugars. In other words, long chains of simple sugar units bond together. They are called polysaccharides.
Polysaccharides: A long chain of monosaccharides linked by glycosidic bonds. The chain can be branched or unbranched and may contain diffrent types of monosaccharides. The
molecular weight can reach quite high, up to 100.000 Daltons or more.
Fats
The chemical structure of fats, are also called triglycerides, consists of a glycerol backbone and three fatty acid chains attached true ester linkages.
Glycerol is a small alcohol, and fatty acids are long hydrocarbon chains with a carboxyl (OH) group at one end.
Fats always have one polar tail and one not polar tail.
Formation of a Fat molecule:
1. Dehydration Synthesis - the hydroxyl groups of the glycerol react with the carboxyl groups of the fatty acids.
2. Ester Linkages - These reactions form the ester linkages (covalent bonds), where a oxygen atom connects the fatty acid's carboxyl group to the glycerol's atom
3. Water release - three molecules of water are released during the formation
Saturated: Fatty acid chain with only single bonds between carbon atoms, are flexible and straight
Unsaturated: Fatty acid chains with one or more double bonds, are more curved creating kinks in the chain.
How does the digesting of the sugar and fat work?
Sugar
The digestive system works like a giant food processor. During digestion, starches and sugars are broken down both mechanically (e.g. through chewing) and chemically (e.g. by
enzymes) into the single units glucose, fructose, and/or galactose, which are absorbed into the blood stream and transported for use as energy throughout the body.
Everything needs to be broken down back to mono and then the blood can absorb it.
1. Mouth - chewing breaks down food, and the enzyme amylase starts to break down starches
2. Stomach - the acidic environment can also contribute to the chemical breakdown of sugars.
3. Small intestine - this is where most of the chemical digestion of sugars takes place
- Enzymes, like amylase and α-Glucosidase secreted form the pancreas, break down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars.
- Enzymes such as sucrase break down disaccharides (sucrose) into glucose and fructose.
- Lactose, found in milk is broken down into glucose and galactose.
4. Absorption - once broken down into units, these monosaccharides are absorbed by the cells lining the small intestine.
5. Transport - The absorbed sugar enter the bloodstream and are transported to the liver and other body cells
6. Energy and Storage - Cells use glucose for immediate energy, or the liver and muscles can store it as glycogen for later use.
