Which of the following is a complex carbohydrate?

Prepare for the Nutrition Section 1 Test. Master nutrition topics through diverse questions, complete with hints and explanations. Get confident for your test!

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a complex carbohydrate?

Explanation:
Complex carbohydrates are long chains of sugar units called polysaccharides. Cellulose is one of these polysaccharides, built from many glucose units linked together in beta-1,4 bonds. That polymer structure makes it a complex carbohydrate. Humans can’t digest cellulose because we don’t have the enzymes to break those specific bonds, so it mostly passes through as dietary fiber and helps with bulk in the digestive system. Glucose is a single sugar molecule, a monosaccharide, so it isn’t a complex carbohydrate. Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of two simple sugars (glucose and fructose), also not a complex carbohydrate. Fructose is another monosaccharide.

Complex carbohydrates are long chains of sugar units called polysaccharides. Cellulose is one of these polysaccharides, built from many glucose units linked together in beta-1,4 bonds. That polymer structure makes it a complex carbohydrate. Humans can’t digest cellulose because we don’t have the enzymes to break those specific bonds, so it mostly passes through as dietary fiber and helps with bulk in the digestive system.

Glucose is a single sugar molecule, a monosaccharide, so it isn’t a complex carbohydrate. Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of two simple sugars (glucose and fructose), also not a complex carbohydrate. Fructose is another monosaccharide.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Passetra

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy