The carbohydrates you consume consist of sugars, starch and fiber. These food components travel through your gastrointestinal tract for digestion and absorption in the case of sugars and starch and for adding bulk to food waste in the case of fiber. A healthy diet contains between 45 and 65 percent carbohydrate, according to the University of Illinois McKinley Health Center. Seek the advice of a dietitian if you have concerns about your carbohydrate intake or its effect on your gastrointestinal tract.
Function
Once you digest and absorb them, carbohydrates provide four calories of food energy for each gram you consume. All of the cells of your body can use carbohydrates as a fuel source, and certain tissues, including your brain and kidneys, require carbohydrates to function optimally. In addition to burning as fuel, carbohydrates can store in your muscles and liver as glycogen, a type of starch that is readily accessible when your body needs a burst of energy. In addition, the carbohydrates you consume that your body is unable to digest play a role in keeping your gastrointestinal tract healthy.
Digestible Carbohydrates
Your digestive system breaks down dietary carbohydrates until they are single sugars small enough for absorption. The passage of carbohydrates through your gastrointestinal tract begins in your mouth, where salivary amylase starts to release glucose from your food starch. As the carbohydrates continue through your stomach and into your small intestine, additional starch- and sugar-digesting enzymes complete the digestive process. The sugar molecules released from carbohydrate digestion leave your gastrointestinal tract at this point as the cells of your small intestine absorb them for transport into your bloodstream.
Fiber
While your digestive enzymes are processing the sugars and starch in your food, the carbohydrates your body cannot digest continue to move through your gastrointestinal tract. These carbohydrates, known collectively as fiber, contain cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, pectin and mucilage. Although your body lacks the digestive enzymes capable of deriving nutrients from this type of carbohydrate, fiber nonetheless serves a vital function in maintaining the health of your gastrointestinal tract. By providing bulk to the waste products of digestion, fiber keeps your bowel movements regular and helps you avoid constipation and hemorrhoids. Fiber's bulk helps slow the passage of food through your intestines and may assist in keeping your blood sugar level constant.
Considerations
Although carbohydrates are, by and large, beneficial to your diet, certain ones can cause you gastrointestinal distress. For example, if you partially or completely lack lactase, the enzyme responsible for digesting lactose, or milk sugar, consuming food or beverages containing this carbohydrate may result in abdominal pain, gas or bloating. Additionally, consuming too much or too little fiber in your daily diet may upset your digestion.
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