The slowing of gastric emptying by monosaccharides and disaccharides in test meals

Abstract

1. Test meals containing various concentrations of glucose, maltose, sucrose, fructose, lactose, galactose and mixtures of these solutes were given to six healthy subjects. All meals contained 40 mM sodium citrate.2. The slowing of gastric emptying produced by the disaccharides in test meals was generally consistent with the stimulation of duodenal osmoreceptors occuring after the hydrolysis of the disaccharides.3. Glucose was slightly more effective, per osmole, in slowing gastric emptying than was galactose.4. By comparison with glucose or galactose, fructose was much less effective in slowing gastric emptying. In three subjects out of six there was a threshold for its effect.5. The results may be indicative of the relative activities of disaccharidases in the brush border of the small intestine. They are consistent with there being an osmoreceptor deep to these enzymes which slows gastric emptying.