Final answer:
The enzyme that helps digest a meal high in complex carbohydrates is (Option B) amylase, which breaks down starches into smaller sugars, beginning in the mouth with salivary amylase and continuing in the small intestine with pancreatic amylase.
Step-by-step explanation:
After eating a meal high in complex carbohydrates, the enzyme that helps digest this meal is amylase. Amylase specializes in breaking down starches, which are complex carbohydrates, into smaller sugar molecules. This is part of the chemical digestion process that begins in the mouth with salivary amylase and continues in the small intestine with pancreatic amylase.
Pancreatic amylase continues the chemical digestion of carbohydrates by breaking down polysaccharides that were not digested by salivary amylase. This enzyme focuses on breaking the α-1→ 4 glycosidic linkages present in starch and glycogen, turning them into smaller molecules such as dextrins and maltose, which can then be further broken down into glucose by other enzymes. The action of amylase is crucial for the body to ultimately absorb these simpler sugars.