Diet

Function of carbohydrates

What functions do carbohydrates fulfill in the body?

The human body can produce glucose as part of glucogenesis, but it is responsible for the synthesis of Carbohydrates unable and is therefore dependent on ingestion through food.

A distinction is made between the various forms of sugar

Simple sugars (Monosaccharides),
Double sugars (Disaccharides),
Polysaccharides (Oligosaccharides) and
Multiple sugars (Polysaccharides).

Ingested through food, the various forms of sugar should be listed here by way of example in order to illustrate the differences.

So belong to the Monosaccharides: Glucose, fructose and Galactosewhich are present in various types of fruit and in honey. They provide the basis for that Multiple saccharides represent.

To the Disaccharides belong: Maltose (e.g. in malt beer, formed from glucose molecules), Sucrose (e.g. in cane or beet sugar; from glucose and fructose) and lactosewhich is composed of glucose and galactose. and colloquially probably as Lactose should be better known.

Also the Oligosaccharides (Multiple sugars) are formed from the monosaccharides.

The Polysaccharides (Polysaccharides) as highly complex molecules, composed of a large number of monosaccharides, are regarded as sugar stores in the organism. Depending on the type and composition of the monosaccharides, a distinction is made between:

Homoglycans, composed of always the same monosaccharides, e.g. Glycogen (exclusively from glucose), etc.
Heteroglycans, composed of various monosaccharides.

Polysaccharides can be found in, for example Grain, rice and Potatoes in the form of Strength.

carbohydrates are usually ingested with food, but usually as disaccharides in the form of sucrose or lactose or as polysaccharides in the form of starch or glycogen. However, only monosaccharides can be absorbed by the cell, so that di- or polysaccharides must first be converted into monosaccharides.

This transformation of the carbohydrates (Split) happens in Small intestine lumen or in the Small intestinal mucosa cells and is induced by specific enzymes. After the cleavage, the resulting monosaccharides are released into the bloodstream and can thus be metabolized by the cells. A constant glucose level is essential for these energy-consuming cells, so that glucose must be regarded as the most important monosaccharide in carbohydrate metabolism.

Carbohydrates represent the largest proportion of organic matter on the earth's surface. They are synthesized from inorganic substances, namely carbon (c), oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H) as part of photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide with the release of oxygen.

Even if there are different forms of carbohydrates, the composition of the molecules is the same for all of them. Hydrogen and oxygen atoms are in a ratio of 2: 1.

The function of carbohydrates in the body:
Carbohydrates can easily be taken from food. They represent an important component for covering the daily energy requirement. One goes from a share between 50 to 60% out. One gram of carbohydrates provides approximately 4.2 kcal. Read our new topic "Carbohydrates table"and learn more about the carbohydrate content of certain foods.

The basic nutrient can - if there is an oversupply - as glycogen, usually in muscles and the liver, but only in a small form.

The glycogen is usually required by the body to maintain a certain blood sugar level and is therefore used as an energy reserve. Only when these stores are used up does the body begin to burn fat or protein. However, this replacement is not possible on a permanent basis. The body tries to make an emergency noticeable. For example, if the blood sugar level is too low, the circulation can sag and the body feels weak and uncomfortable.

It can be stated that the body strives to keep the blood sugar value (= amount of the simple sugars contained in the blood) limits constant. Due to the narrow tolerance limit, it guarantees a constant supply of energy to the cells and thus the performance of the body. Who has not tried to improve their performance (school performance) by taking glucose?

Unfortunately, not every body is able to keep this blood sugar level constant. An example of this is the illness to be taken seriously Diabetes mellitus (Diabetes). The name stands for various forms of glucose - metabolic disorder. All forms have in common the lack of insulin, which reduces the glucose uptake in the body cells, the glycogen formation is throttled, the sugar release from the liver is increased and the lipogenesis is reduced with a simultaneous increase in cholesterol formation. In addition, the peptide and protein synthesis is reduced and, among other things, the formation of high-energy compounds is reduced. Patients who at Diabetes mellitus (Diabetes) sufferers are forced to control the amount of carbohydrates ingested through food.

Forms of carbohydrate malabsorption are also conceivable, e.g .: lactose intolerance, etc ..

Here you can find information about carbohydrates and exercise