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From: Slocum@HI-MULTICS.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: left-handed sugar
Message-ID: <851217151534.364613@HI-MULTICS.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 17-Dec-85 10:15:00 EST
Article-I.D.: HI-MULTI.851217151534.364613
Posted: Tue Dec 17 10:15:00 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 19-Dec-85 04:43:37 EST
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 9

Left-handed sugars cannot be metabolized because the enzyme that
metabolizes sugar (Sucrase) is right-handed and won't fit into
left-handed sucrose (Sinister sucrose??  :-) .  The taste buds are not
chemically asymetrical, so either left- or right- handed sugars taste
sweet.  Enzymes are like putting gloves on the wrong hand, whereas taste
buds are like putting socks on the "wrong" foot.

    Brett Slocum
    Slocum@HI-MULTICS.ARPA