Carbohydrate digestion begins with salivary alpha-amylase breaking starch down into alpha-dextrin in the mouth. Alpha-dextrin is further broken down by gluco-amylase into maltose and maltotriose. Enzymes such as maltase, isomaltase, sucrase and lactase then hydrolyze these sugars and other disaccharides into monosaccharides. Carbohydrate digestion is usually fast in the upper small intestine but can occur throughout the small intestine and even in the large intestine by bacterial flora if the carbohydrates are not easily digestible. Undigested carbohydrates in the small intestine and resistant starches are metabolized by