Dietary starch and other carbohydrates (CHO) (CHO)

Dietary starch and other carbohydrates represent the primary macronutrient source of metabolic energy for the human body, ranging from simple monosaccharides like glucose to complex polysaccharides like starch and fiber (NIH, 2022). Upon ingestion, complex carbohydrates are hydrolyzed by digestive enzymes, including salivary and pancreatic alpha-amylase and membrane-bound intestinal alpha-glucosidases, into absorbable monosaccharides (StatPearls, 2023). While these molecules are not therapeutic targets in the traditional sense of being receptors or enzymes, they serve as the essential substrates for pharmacological interventions in metabolic diseases. Drugs such as alpha-glucosidase inhibitors are designed to interfere with the breakdown of these carbohydrates to delay glucose absorption and mitigate postprandial hyperglycemia (PubMed, 2021). Consequently, the management of carbohydrate metabolism is a central focus in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome (WHO, 2023).

Other names

PolysaccharidesComplex carbohydratesSugarsStarchesDietary fiberGlycans

Competitive inhibition of intestinal alpha-glucosidase enzymes and pancreatic alpha-amylase, which delays the hydrolysis of dietary starch and oligosaccharides into glucose, thereby slowing glucose absorption and reducing postprandial blood glucose excursions (StatPearls, 2023; PubChem, 2023).