What are Carbohydrates and its Health Benefits ?

Have you ever wondered how you get all that energy in your body to perform so many activities round the clock? The answer is the word “carbohydrate”. These are compounds that are a major source of energy for your body. Some of the foods rich in carbohydrates are fruits, sweets, breads, potatoes, rice, pastas, beans, cereals and soft drinks.

Chemical composition of Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates are made up of three elements- carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, with an atom ratio of hydrogen: oxygen as 2:1 (as in the case of water). Thus, carbohydrates derive their name from the fact that they are hydrates of carbons. Carbohydrates are of four types: - Monosaccharides- e.g. fructose, galactose, ribose
- Disaccharides- e.g. lactose, sucrose, maltose
- Oligosaccharides- e.g. raffinose, stachyose
- Polysaccharides- e.g. starch, cellulose, chiti

Carbohydrates and Nutrition:
Our body is so structured that it can, on its own, understand its energy requirements. Carbohydrates that enter the body are either utilized immediately or converted into fat for later use. Carbohydrates are muscle building nutrition compounds, although the body can also derive energy from proteins and fats.

Our brain does not burn fat for releasing energy, but makes use of glucose or ketones. Organisms cannot always metabolize all sorts of carbohydrates to release energy, such as chitin and arabinoxylans. Glucose is the most easily broken down, though complex carbohydrates are not easily digestible.

Carbohydrates and Metabolism:
It’s really a matter of great fantasy that our body starts the process of breakdown of carbohydrates even before we actually consume them. When we smell the aroma of a dish we like, our mouth begins to water. Soluble table sugar (or sucrose) dissolves the saliva in our mouth. This saliva contains an enzyme called amylase, which breaks starch into glucose when we actually chew the food.

Pancreatic amylase in the small intestine further breaks down more carbohydrates into monosaccharides, which is absorbed in the blood and either used for energy or converted and stored.

Medical Requirements:
The Institute of Medicine recommends that 40-65% of an adult’s body energy should come from foods containing carbohydrates. Inadequate intake of it may result in fatigue, muscle cramps and weakness.

People who suffer from diabetes are the ones whose body does not produce insulin to trigger glucose storage. Hence, their blood is high in glucose and they are advised to eat foods that are low on “carbs” or eat healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.