Is cellulose a polysaccharide?

Cellulose is a substance mainly found in plants. It is also an important substance needed by the human body. It is very beneficial for gastrointestinal motility, so everyone should understand the utilization value of cellulose. Cellulose is a type of polysaccharide, a large molecule composed of oil and glucose. It is insoluble in water and is relatively difficult to digest. It needs to be digested into glucose before it can be absorbed by the human body.

Cellulose is a type of sugar.

Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell walls of green plants, many forms of algae, and oomycetes; some species of bacteria secrete it to form biofilms. Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer on earth, the most widely distributed and abundant polysaccharide in nature, and the main component of plant cell walls.

Cellulose is a macromolecular polysaccharide composed of glucose. Insoluble in water and general organic solvents. It is the main component of plant cell walls. Cellulose is the most widely distributed and abundant polysaccharide in nature, accounting for more than 50% of the carbon content in the plant kingdom. Cotton has a cellulose content of nearly 100% and is the purest natural source of cellulose. In general wood, cellulose accounts for 40-50%, with 10-30% hemicellulose and 20-30% lignin.

Physiological effects

The human body does not have β-glycosidase, so it cannot decompose and utilize cellulose. However, cellulose has the function of absorbing a large amount of water, increasing the amount of feces, promoting intestinal peristalsis, speeding up the excretion of feces, shortening the residence time of carcinogens in the intestines, and reducing adverse stimulation to the intestines, thereby preventing the occurrence of colon cancer.

Dietary fiber

1. Treat diabetes

Dietary fiber can increase the sensitivity of insulin receptors and improve the utilization rate of insulin; dietary fiber can wrap the sugar in food so that it is gradually absorbed, which has the effect of balancing blood sugar after meals, thereby regulating the blood sugar level of diabetic patients and treating diabetes.

2. Prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease

Elevated serum cholesterol levels can lead to coronary heart disease. The excretion of cholesterol and bile acid is closely related to dietary fiber. Dietary fiber can combine with bile acid, allowing it to be quickly excreted from the body. At the same time, the combination of dietary fiber and bile acid will promote the conversion of cholesterol into bile acid, thereby lowering cholesterol levels.

3. Antihypertensive effect

Dietary fiber can absorb ions and exchange them with sodium ions and potassium ions in the intestines, thereby reducing the sodium-potassium ratio in the blood and thus playing a role in lowering blood pressure.

Ingestion

Vegetables are rich in fiber. Foods that do not contain cellulose include: chicken, duck, fish, meat, eggs, etc.; foods that contain large amounts of cellulose include: coarse grains, bran, vegetables, beans, etc., among which cotton has the highest content, reaching 98%. Therefore, it is recommended that diabetic patients eat more fiber-rich foods such as beans and fresh vegetables. Currently, most of the plant fiber foods in China are made from rice bran, bran, wheat dregs, beet scraps, pumpkin, corn husks and seaweed, which have a certain effect on lowering blood sugar and blood lipids.