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Lactose can not be absorbed by the intestine and needs to be split in the small intestine into galactose and glucose by the enzyme called lactase; unabsorbed lactose can cause abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, gas, and nausea. [citation needed] In most mammals, production of lactase diminishes after infants are weaned from maternal milk.
In metabolism, the β-glycosidic bond in D-lactose is hydrolyzed to form D-galactose and D-glucose, which can be absorbed through the intestinal walls and into the bloodstream. The overall reaction that lactase catalyzes is as follows: C 12 H 22 O 11 + H 2 O → C 6 H 12 O 6 + C 6 H 12 O 6 + heat. lactose + H 2 O → β-D-galactose + D-glucose
Glucose-galactose malabsorption generally becomes apparent in the first few weeks of a baby's life. Affected infants experience severe diarrhea resulting in life-threatening dehydration, increased acidity of the blood and tissues (), and weight loss when fed breast milk or regular infant formulas.
Inborn errors of metabolism form a large class of genetic diseases involving congenital disorders of enzyme activities. [1] The majority are due to defects of single genes that code for enzymes that facilitate conversion of various substances into others . In most of the disorders, problems arise due to accumulation of substances which are ...
After resorption in the gut, the monosaccharides are transported, through the portal vein, to the liver, where all non-glucose monosacharids (fructose, galactose) are transformed into glucose as well. [4] Glucose (blood sugar) is distributed to cells in the tissues, where it is broken down via cellular respiration, or stored as glycogen.
This results in simple sugars glucose and maltose (2 glucose molecules) that can be absorbed by the small intestine. Lactase is an enzyme that breaks down the disaccharide lactose to its component parts, glucose and galactose. Glucose and galactose can be absorbed by the small intestine.
Infants with classic galactosemia cannot be breast-fed due to lactose in human breast milk which consists of both galactose and glucose and are usually fed a soy-based formula. [ 24 ] Galactosemia is sometimes confused with lactose intolerance , but galactosemia is a more serious condition.
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 5 January 2025. Sweet-tasting, water-soluble carbohydrates This article is about the class of sweet-flavored substances used as food. For common table sugar, see Sucrose. For other uses, see Sugar (disambiguation). Sugars (clockwise from top-left): white refined, unrefined, unprocessed cane, brown Sugar ...