Sánchez-Castillo Claudia P, Hudson Geoffrey J, Englyst Hans N, Dewey Peter, James W Philip T
Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico D.F.
Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2002 Dec;52(4):321-35.
Forty years ago carbohydrates (CHO) were regarded as a simple energy source whereas they are now recognized as important food components. The human diet contains a wide range of CHO, the vast majority of which are of plant origin. Modern techniques based on chemical classification of dietary CHO replaced the traditional "by difference" measurement. They provide a logical basis for grouping into categories of specific nutritional importance. The physiological effects of dietary CHO are highly dependent on the rate and extent of digestion and absorption in the small intestine and fermentation in the large intestine, interactions which promote human health. Current knowledge of the fate of dietary CHO means that the potentially undesirable properties of many modern foods could be altered by using processing techniques that yield foods with more intact plant cell wall structures. Such products would more closely resemble the foods in the pre-agriculture diet with respect to the rate of digestion and absorption of CHO in the small intestine. The potentially detrimental physiological consequences of eating sugars and starch that are rapidly digested and absorbed in the small intestine suggest that, as fibre, the form, as well as the amount of starch should be considered. Increasing consumer awareness of the relationship between diet and health has led to demands for more widespread nutrition labelling. The entry "carbohydrate" is required in most countries, and the value is usually obtained "by difference" and used in the calculation of energy content. However, the value provides no nutritional information per se. Food labels should provide values that aid consumers in selecting a healthy diet.
四十年前，碳水化合物（CHO）被视为一种简单的能量来源，而如今它们被公认为重要的食物成分。人类饮食包含多种碳水化合物，其中绝大多数源自植物。基于膳食碳水化合物化学分类的现代技术取代了传统的“差值法”测量。这些技术为将碳水化合物归类为具有特定营养重要性的类别提供了逻辑依据。膳食碳水化合物的生理效应高度依赖于小肠中的消化吸收速率和程度以及大肠中的发酵作用，这些相互作用对促进人类健康有益。目前对膳食碳水化合物去向的了解意味着，通过采用能生产出具有更完整植物细胞壁结构食物的加工技术，可以改变许多现代食品潜在的不良特性。就小肠中碳水化合物的消化吸收速率而言，这类产品将更类似于农业出现之前饮食中的食物。食用在小肠中快速消化吸收的糖和淀粉可能产生有害的生理后果，这表明作为膳食纤维，淀粉的形态以及含量都应予以考虑。消费者对饮食与健康关系认知的提高，导致对更广泛营养标签的需求。在大多数国家，食品标签上都要求标注“碳水化合物”含量，其数值通常通过“差值法”获得，并用于能量含量的计算。然而，该数值本身并不提供营养信息。食品标签应提供有助于消费者选择健康饮食的数值。
