Carbohydrates are classified as either monosaccharide, disaccharide or polysaccharide. Monosaccarides are single sugars, such as glucose, fructose and galactose. Disaccharides are two monosacchides hooked together and include sucrose, lactose, and maltose. Polysaccharides, also referred to as complex carbohydrates, are made up of many sugars. Starch and fiber are both examples of polysaccharides. Carbohydrates supply over 50 percent of the calories the average person consumes daily and have several important functions in the body.
Provide Energy
The primary function of carbohydrates is to supply energy to the cells of the body. Glucose is the only fuel the brain is able to use and because brain tissue has no means to store energy it requires a steady supply. In between meals, the body has the ability to convert amino acids to glucose for energy, but this system is not ideal for long-term use as it requires the breakdown of proteins and can lead to muscle loss.
Energy Storage
The liver as well as muscle tissue are capable of storing glucose as glycogen --a polysaccharide. When all the glucose from a meal is not immediately used up for fuel, the excess is converted to glycogen in the liver or muscle and stored for later use. If more glucose is taken in than can be used for energy or glycogen storage, it is converted to and stored as fat.
Provide Building Blocks
Another very important role of carbohydrates is to supply carbon for the synthesis of other molecules in the body including proteins, fats, RNA and DNA. An example of this would be the simple sugar ribose, which when converted to deoxyribose, provides the back bone for DNA.
Digestive Health
Carbohydrates are also important for digestive help. Fiber, a non-digestible polysaccharide provides bulk to stool which promotes regular elimination of waste from the digestive track. Certain types of fiber also provide a food source for gut bacteria which in term produce beneficial and protective short chain fatty acids.
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