Do Fats Block Carb Absorption?

The process of digestion involves mechanical processes, such as chewing, and chemical processes, including using enzymes to break down food into individual nutrients. A well-balanced diet includes a mixture of the three macronutrients -- protein, fat and carbohydrates -- which rely on different enzymes for digestion and absorption. Your body is used to breaking down and absorbing these nutrients together, so fats do not block the absorption of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate Absorption

Carbohydrates include sugar, starch and fiber compounds such as cellulose. Your body can only absorb small sugar molecules like the simplest form of sugar, or glucose.
Carbohydrates that consist of many sugar molecules, like starches, must first be broken down by enzymes. Salivary amylase, an enzyme in saliva, begins the process of digestion by breaking the long chain of sugar molecules into smaller units of glucose. The pancreas produces and secretes pancreatic amylase to the small intestine where it breaks the carbohydrates down into molecules the cells lining the small intestine can absorb.

Fat Absorption

While your body breaks down carbohydrates to absorb, it can also break down fats for absorption. The liver produces bile acid, which emulsifies the fat globules into tiny droplets that can dissolve in the watery content of the small intestine. There, pancreatic lipase breaks the fats into smaller molecules and releases the fatty acids so they can bind to bile acid and cholesterol that help the cells lining the small intestine absorb fats.

Effect of Carbs

Carbohydrates serve as the main source of energy for your body. Foods classified as carbohydrates also contain essential vitamins and minerals. Consistently consuming too many carbohydrates; however, may contribute to health problems such as metabolic syndrome, a condition of impaired glucose control, that can be a precursor to diabetes. In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 34 percent of adults in the United States met the criteria for metabolic syndrome. Because the typical American diet consists of a large portion of carbohydrates, finding substances to block carb absorption may help reduce your risk for metabolic syndrome.

Blocking Carb Absorption

Although fats do not block the absorption of carbs, other substances show promise in blocking carb absorption. L-arabinose, a simple plant sugar your body cannot absorb, may block the breakdown and absorption of sucrose, better known as table sugar. White bean extract, made from white kidney beans, blocks the activity of pancreatic amylase and prevents the breakdown of carbohydrates therefore inhibiting carb absorption. Other possible substances to block carb absorption include African mango, green tea extract, chromium and seaweed extract.