As the building blocks of carbohydrates, monosaccharides are in their simplest form. When they are joined together, however, they can form disaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Electrolytes, on the other hand, are not carbohydrates, but minerals that hold an electrical charge. Sucrose is a disaccharide; sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium are examples of electrolytes.
Sucrose
A monosaccharide is a sugar that cannot be broken down into a simpler form. Fructose, glucose and galactose are examples of monosaccharides. When two monosaccharides are joined together and held together by a biochemical bond, the substance is now called a disaccharide. Two molecules of glucose joined by a bond form the disaccharide maltose. Galactose joined with glucose forms the disaccharide lactose. Glucose joined with fructose forms sucrose, according to "Principles of Medical Biochemistry" by Gerhard Meisenberg, Ph.D. of the Department of Biochemistry at Ross University School of Medicine. Thus, sucrose is not an electrolyte, it is a disaccharide.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes are minerals that have an electric charge. The electrolytes that have a positive charge are called cations; those with a negative charge are referred to as anions. Calcium, potassium, magnesium and sodium are cations. Organic acids, bicarbonates, phosphates, chloride, protein and sulfates are anions. The cells must balance the number of cations with the number of anions. The number of cations and anions in a cell should each be 200 mEq/L, according to Gabor Kelen, M.D., chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins University in "Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine."
Congenital Sucrase-Isomaltase Deficiency
Congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency is a hereditary disease where someone is not able to break down maltose and sucrose. Infants, therefore, will start to have symptoms once they begin eating grains, juice and fruit; grain products contain maltose, while juice and fruit have sucrose. Infants can have diarrhea, stomach cramps, gas and bloating. According to the National Institutes of Health, this disorder develops because of a mutation in a gene that affects an enzyme called sucrase-isomaltase. This enzyme, or protein, is needed so maltose and sucrose can be broken down in the small intestines.
Hereditary Fructose Intolerance
The University of Maryland Medical Center explains that not having enough of an enzyme called aldolase B can lead to the genetic disease hereditary fructose intolerance. The aldolase B enzyme is necessary to break down fructose, a monosaccharide found in fruit. With this disorder, if you eat fructose or sucrose, a substance called fructose-1-phosphate will accumulate in your liver. You can develop an enlarged liver, kidney damage, liver damage, a low amount of glucose in your bloodstream, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating.
References
- "Handbook of Pathophysiology"; Elizabeth Corwin, MSN, Ph.D., FNP; 2000
- "Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry"; Robert Murray, M.D., Ph.D., David Bender, Ph.D., et al.; 2009
- National Institutes of Health: Congenital Sucrase-Isomaltase Deficiency
- "Principles of Medical Biochemistry"; Gerhard Meisenberg, Ph.D., William Simmons, Ph.D.; 1998
- "Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine A Comprehensive Study Guide"; Judith Tintinalli, M.D., et al.; 2004
- "University of Maryland Medical Center"; Hereditary Fructose Intolerance; Chad Englert, M.D.; 2009
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