Question

Why are polysacchrides more difficult to digest than monoascchrides

Answer 1

Polysaccharides are more difficult to digest than monosaccharides because unlike monosaccharides which are single, separate glucose units, polysaccharides are composed of many glucose units which are covalently linked together by glycosidic bonds. Digestion of polysaccharides is more difficult because these bonds have to be broken up and therefore the body will take longer to digest the polysaccharides. Since monosaccharides have no linkage to any other molecule, they tend to yield energy to the body much faster than polysaccharides and therefore monosaccharide containing foods will give the body energy faster than polysaccharide containing food.