List Of Some Types Of Carbohydrates

Biochemically, carbohydrates are a class of macromolecules -- meaning large molecules -- made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They are ubiquitous in the body and in nature, and contribute to cell function in many ways. In addition to providing energy to cells, carbohydrates also participate in cellular communication, provide building blocks for other large biomolecules, and have structural function in some organisms. There are many different types of carbohydrates.

Monosaccharides

All carbohydrates are made up of one or more monosaccharide, where a monosaccharide is a single sugar unit. The most common of these sugar units is called glucose, which has the chemical formula C6H12O6. There are many monosaccharides, however, a few others of which include fructose, which is in fruit, and galactose, which is in milk. While monosaccharides are important to cells, explain Drs. Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham in their book "Biochemistry," they're not common in the diet -- most ingested carbohydrate is taken in as chemical combinations of two or more monosaccharides.

Disaccharides

Disaccharides are made up of two monosaccharides, chemically bonded together. Like monosaccharides, disaccharides are chemically classified as sugars, and taste sweet to varying degrees. Perhaps the most common disaccharide in the human diet is sucrose, or table sugar, which is made up of one glucose unit and one fructose unit, explain Drs. Mary Campbell and Shawn Farrell in their book "Biochemistry." Lactose, made up of one unit each of glucose and galactose, is another common disaccharide, as is maltose, or malt sugar, which consists of two glucose molecules bonded to one another.

Polysaccharides

The third class of carbohydrates -- polysaccharides -- are made up of many monosaccharide units linked together. Common polysaccharides are found frequently in nature, and while some can be digested or used by the human body, others can't be. Amylose is the chemical name for starch, which is made up of many units of glucose linked together, explain Drs. Campbell and Farrell. The human body stores glucose for later use in the form of another polysaccharide, called glycogen. Plants and trees also rely upon a polysaccharide, called cellulose, as structural material. Like starch, cellulose is made of glucose, but humans can't digest it. Instead, cellulose, or dietary fiber, passes through the intestine and provides digestive bulk without calories.