American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 23, 1373-1377, Copyright © 1970 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Dose Response of Jejunal Sucrase and Maltase Activities to Isocaloric High and Low Carbohydrate Diets in Man

¹ From the Metabolic Division, U. S. Army Medical Research and Nutrition Laboratory, Fitzsimons General Hospital, Denver, Colorado 80240

The effect of isocaloric high and low carbohydrate diets on human jejunal disaccharidase activity was studied in eight normal volunteers. The carbohydrate portion of the diet ranged from 0 to 80% of the calories and the carbohydrate was entirely either glucose or sucrose, respectively.

Sucrase and maltase activities and the S/L and M/L ratios were higher on the respective high carbohydrate diets than on the low carbohydrate diets, thereby demonstrating a dose response. In addition, the slope of the dose-response curve was greater for increasing amounts of sucrose than for corresponding increases in glucose. In one subject, a protein-free diet for 9 days failed to alter mean disaccharidase activities or ratios.

These results demonstrate that the amount as well as the type of carbohydrate in the diet can influence the level of disaccharidase activity in man.

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