Download Valore nutrizionale della pasta - International Pasta Organisation

The Nutritional Value of Pasta
the nutritionist’s opinion
Carlo Cannella, Alessandro Pinto
Institute of Food Science and Nutrition
“La Sapienza” University, Rome, Italy
Function of carbohydrates
An adult subject needs about 180 g/die of glucose to meet
nervous system and erythrocytes energy requirements
Essentiality
Necessity
Carbohydrates are necessary but not
essential nutrients because the human body
can produce glucose from aminoacids
(gluconeogenesis)
In a low carbohydrate diet, when the catabolism of glucose is
active, acetyl-CoA from lipids is burned
otherwise it accumulates to form ketone bodies/fatty acids
Carbohydrate: classification
Simple
Complex
Available or
not available
Starch
Starch consists of linked
glucose units arranged in either
straight or branched chains
Amylose
Amylopectin
straight-chain form of starch based on
several hundred glucose residues linked
by alpha-glucosidic bonds between
carbons 1 and 4 of adjacent glucose
molecules
branched-chain component of starch
based on straight-chain form plus sidebranches (by additional bonds between
carbons 1 and 6 of two adjacent glucose
molecules)
Metabolic Pathway
Glucose and other absorbed monosaccharydes
(fructose, galactose and mannose) are isomerised
and phosphorilated to glucose-6-P
Blood
glucose
CO2 + H2O + ATP
Hepatic and muscle
glycogen
Pentose phosphate
Adipose tissue
Blood glucose control
 glucose uptaken into cells
 glycogenosynthesis
Release of Insulin
from pancreas
High levels of
blood glucose
110 mg/dl
blood glucose - normal range
70 mg/dl
 breakdown of glycogen
 increase of gluconeogenesis
Release of Glucagon
from pancreas
Low level of
blood glucose
Glucose Amount from different sources
100 g bread

80 g pasta

60 g sugar
They cause different glucaemia increase rates
G.I. “glycaemic index”
Glycaemic index
It is possible to measure the relative effects of different carbohydrate foods on the blood sugar
level. The rise in blood glucose following ingestion of a portion of a test food containing 50 g of
available carbohydrate is compared with the effect on blood glucose of a 50 g available
carbohydrate portion of a standard such as glucose or white bread. Comparison of the areas under
the two glucose curves obtained produces a “glycaemic index”
Glycaemic Load = GI x dietary carbohydrate content
Scientific evidences support pasta daily consumption

Its glycaemic index is suitable for achievements of daily
quota of carbohydrates (50-60% total energy uptake)
Its association with different sauces improves nutritional
value of proteins (cheese) and exerts an anticancer activity
(tomato and onion)
It has a reduced fat content especially of saturated fatty
acids and an important source of fiber (affecting other
nutrient absorption)
…… but remember portion size of 80 g!