How are the digestion products of carbohydrates, such as glucose, galactose, and fructose, absorbed through the intestine?
A. By passive diffusion across enterocyte plasma membranesThe three terminal products of carbohydrate digestion are transported through the enterocyte brush border membrane via facilitative transporter proteins such as the sodium-glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1), glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2), and glucose transporter S (GLUTS). There is evidence of overexpression of these transporters, particularly SGLTl, in diabetes and obesity, and new therapeutic approaches for these conditions are designed to inhibit these transporters.