Certified Gastroenterology Registered Nurse Exam 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Amylase is the enzyme crucial for the digestion of carbohydrates in the small intestine. It plays a significant role in breaking down complex carbohydrates into simpler sugars that can be easily absorbed by the intestinal lining. This process begins in the mouth, where salivary amylase initiates carbohydrate digestion, and continues in the small intestine, where pancreatic amylase further facilitates the breakdown of carbohydrates into maltose, glucose, and other monosaccharides.

Lipase is an enzyme responsible for the digestion of fats rather than carbohydrates, focusing on breaking down triglycerides into fatty acids and glycerol. Trypsin is a proteolytic enzyme that digests proteins, breaking them down into smaller peptides, and is primarily active in the small intestine. Pepsin, also a proteolytic enzyme, functions in the stomach to break down proteins into peptides but has no role in carbohydrate digestion. Thus, amylase is the correct choice for carbohydrate digestion in the small intestine.