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The Role of the Gut Microflora in the Digestion of Starches and Sugars: With Special Reference to Their Role in the Metabolism of the Host, Including Energy and Vitamin Metabolism

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Book cover Dietary Starches and Sugars in Man: A Comparison

Part of the book series: ILSI Human Nutrition Reviews ((ILSI HUMAN))

Abstract

In the context of the conventional descriptions of the digestion of the sugars and starches in foods, the role of the microflora is regarded as a minor scavenging one, and one that moreover operates only under exceptional, usually pathological conditions[1]. The small-intestinal digestion and absorption of these food carbohydrates is assumed to be virtually complete, and the interaction of the microflora with the undigested components of the plant cell wall (dietary fibre) is assumed to be quantitatively of much greater importance.

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Authors
  1. D. A. T. Southgate
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PT, Manchester, UK

    John Dobbing DSc, FRCP, FRCPath (Emeritus Professor of Child Growth and Development) (Emeritus Professor of Child Growth and Development)

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Southgate, D.A.T. (1989). The Role of the Gut Microflora in the Digestion of Starches and Sugars: With Special Reference to Their Role in the Metabolism of the Host, Including Energy and Vitamin Metabolism. In: Dobbing, J. (eds) Dietary Starches and Sugars in Man: A Comparison. ILSI Human Nutrition Reviews. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1701-8_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1701-8_4

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