Suppose you are a typical adult human...

starch

“bean sugar”

• Esophagus

• Stomach

• mixes and digests foods for which it

has the enzymes

• has this enzyme:

• Small intestine

• entrance: stomach, exit: large intestine

• absorbs only single sugars

• contains bacteria E. coli

• E. coli can absorb single sugars and

double-sugars like lactose

• E. coli digest sugar to CO2 and H2O

• E. coli have this enzyme:

• Large intestine

• entrance: small intestine, exit: anus

• contains methanogen bacteria

• methanogens can absorb single sugars and
double-sugars like “bean sugar.”

• methanogens digest sugar to methane
gas (CH4) and H2O

• methanogens have this enzyme:

What happens to the starch?

 

 

 

What happens to the “bean sugar”?

 

 

 

So, who gets the simple sugars, you or your bacteria?

How do you feel?

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