The Essential Role of Carbohydrates in Health and Energy

Carbohydrates are crucial for maintaining overall health as they serve as the body’s primary source of energy. When consumed, carbohydrates undergo digestion where they are broken down into glucose, a simple sugar. This glucose is then absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to cells throughout the body. Within cells, glucose is utilized to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through cellular respiration. ATP is often referred to as the energy currency of cells because it provides the energy necessary for various cellular processes and functions.

In addition to providing immediate energy, carbohydrates play a significant role in energy storage. When glucose levels exceed immediate energy needs, excess glucose is converted into glycogen and stored primarily in the liver and muscles. This stored glycogen serves as a readily accessible reserve that can be quickly mobilized to maintain stable blood sugar levels between meals and during periods of physical exertion. This is particularly important for sustaining energy levels during prolonged or intense physical activities.

Carbohydrates also have a vital role in brain function. The brain relies heavily on glucose as its primary source of energy. A consistent and adequate supply of glucose is essential for cognitive processes such as thinking, learning, and memory. Without sufficient carbohydrates, cognitive performance can decline, highlighting the importance of including adequate carbohydrates in the diet for mental clarity and function.

Additionally, carbohydrates contribute to muscle preservation by preventing the breakdown of proteins for energy. This is particularly important during periods of intense physical activity or calorie restriction, as it helps maintain muscle mass and overall strength.

Moreover, dietary fiber, a type of carbohydrate found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, is integral to digestive health. Fiber promotes regular bowel movements, reducing the risk of constipation, and supports cardiovascular health by helping to lower cholesterol levels.

In summary, carbohydrates are essential not only for energy production and storage but also for brain function, muscle preservation, and digestive health. A balanced diet that includes an appropriate amount of carbohydrates is crucial for maintaining overall well-being and optimal health.
The Essential Role of Carbohydrates in Health and Energy

Complex carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a major macronutrient and one of human body’s primary sources of energy. Complex carbohydrates are made up of sugar molecules that are strung together in long, complex chains. These are called oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest than simple carbohydrates do.

These are found in almost all plant foods and contain longer chains of sugar molecules. They are most commonly found in whole wheat bread, whole grain pasta, brown rice and starchy vegetables like corn and peas.

Complex carbohydrates pack in more nutrients than simple carbs. They are higher in fiber and digest more slowly. Complex carbohydrate foods provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are important to the health of an individual.

Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and are a more stable source of energy than simple carbohydrates. This means complex carbohydrates have a less immediate impact on blood sugar, causing it to rise more slowly.

Fiber and starch are the two types of complex carbohydrates. Fiber is especially important because it promotes bowel regularity and helps to control cholesterol.
Complex carbohydrates

Refined carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are one of human body's main sources of energy. Health organizations such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that 45 to 65 percent of daily calories should come from carbohydrates.

The whole carbohydrates are minimally processed and contain the fiber found naturally in the food, while refined carbohydrates have been processed more and have had the natural fiber removed or changed. Refined carbohydrates, also known as ‘simple’ carbohydrates, refer to sugars (e.g., glucose, fructose, sucrose) or anything made from grains which have had the fibrous wheat germ and bran removed.

The body uses refined carbohydrates much more quickly than it uses unrefined carbohydrates. As a result, refined carbohydrates create a short burst of energy, whereas unrefined carbohydrates release energy more slowly throughout the day. Eating refined carbohydrates is linked to drastically increased risk of many diseases, including obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. They digest quickly and their high glycemic index causes unhealthy spikes in blood sugar levels. This causes the body to produce lots of insulin to allow the glucose to enter the body’s cells to be used as energy.

There are two main types of refined carbohydrates:
*Sugars
*Refined grains

As well as being present in obvious foods such as sugary snacks, desserts, and candies, sugar is also hidden in much of the processed food people eat—from soda, coffee and fruit drinks to bread, pasta sauce, and frozen dinners.
Refined carbohydrates

Water soluble fiber

Soluble fiber is found dissolved in water inside plant cells. Like insoluble fiber, it is not digested and does not provide energy, although it may be consumed by bacteria that live in the digestive tract.

In water soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance. This gel absorbs water and helps to keep the stool soft. Soluble fibers include pectin, found in fruits, and gums, found in some grains and legumes.

Oat bran supplies a water-soluble form of fiber called beta glucan. Like cellulose, oat fiber is polysaccharides composed of glucose units. Because of the manner in which the glucose units are joined, the carbohydrate chain is not digestible.

Soluble fiber reduces the rate of glucose absorption and insulin presence after a meal, thus increasing glucose tolerance. Soluble fiber creates a viscous material that helps promote satiety or the feeling of fullness after a meal, lowers blood cholesterol, and also slows down the absorption of blood glucose, providing longer lasting energy.
Water soluble fiber

Characteristics and properties of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are the main repository of photosynthetic energy in plants. They constitute roughly 50-80% of the dry matter of forages and cereals.

In living organism, they function as structural materials, energy reservesn, adhesives and information-transfer agents. Carbohydrate polymers derive from natur’s capacity to covert carbohydrate molecules into polyacetals by several pathways.

Polysaccharides–polysaccharides interaction plays an important role in the control of architecture of animal and plants cells.

The most important functional properties of food polysaccharides are water binding capacity and enhancing viscosity. As polysaccharides can dramatically increasing the solution viscosity at a relatively low concentration, they are often used as a viscofier in liquid and semisolid foods.

They are also used to stabilize food products such as emulsion, foam and frozen dairy products. The nutritive characteristics of carbohydrates depend on their sugar components and linkages with polyphenolic lignin and their physicochemical factors.

The most prominent character of carbohydrate metabolism is hyperglycemia which is speculated to be related it insulin resistance, due to counter regulatory hormones and mediators of inflammation; insulin resistance itself, however, does not explain this increase in glucose levels.
Characteristics and properties of carbohydrate

Nutrition of peanut

Peanuts are grown in tropical and subtropical climates. They need much sunshine, warm temperature, moderate rainfall and a frost-free growing period of 4 to 5 months.

Peanuts are rich in oil: 100 pounds of whole nuts yields 32 pounds of oil and small podded varieties contain 50% oil.

The oil contains 76% to 82% unsaturated fatty acid that is fatty acids with double bonds. Monounsaturated fatty acids represent 48.4% of the total; polyunsaturated fatty acids, 33.6 percent and saturated fatty acids, 18%.

The two major carbohydrates of peanuts are starch, present primarily in starch grains in the two large cotyledons of the seed, and sugars (mostly sucrose) present in the honeycomb network surrounding the fat deposits.

Peanuts have fiber, plus a good amount of protein to build a better body. Peanuts generally contain higher amounts of protein (25.80 g/100 g) than three nuts (7.91-21.22 g/100g).

100 grams of raw nuts contains about 705 mg of potassium and 18 mg of sodium. They also have a good supply of niacin and a bit of thiamine for more energy. They are rich in fiber, a good source of B-group vitamins, vitamin E and a source of iron and zinc.
Nutrition of peanut

Homopolysaccharides

Homopolysaccharides are composed of just one type of monosaccharide and heteropolysaccharides are built from more than one type.

The homopolysaccharides cellulose is of major importance to the structure of plants because it provides support to stems and stalks and provides a tough and water–insoluble protective barrier.

In general, homopolysaccharides have a well defined chemical structure, although their molecule weight of an individual amylose or xylan molecule may vary within a particular range, depending on the source.

Several naturally occurring homopolysaccharides are listed in the following table:
Cellulose
Amylose
Chitin
Inulin
Xylan
Glycogen
Amylopectin
Dextran
Agar

Cellulose consists of a long chain of β-glucopyranose residues joined by β-(1 – 4) glycosidic bonds. The strength of cellulose comes from the way in which cellulose molecules from hydrogen bonds with neighboring ones, producing durable sheets of polysaccharides.

There are two types of homopolysaccharides
*Linear homopolysaccharides – Polysaccharides formed from a single sugar unit and having straight chain structure.

*Branched homopolysaccharides – For the most part, these polysaccharides serve as energy reserves and not as structural elements.
Homopolysaccharides

Complex carbohydrate of oligosaccharide

Complex carbohydrates consist of many monosaccharides bonded together in a variety of bonding patterns. 

Oligosaccharides yield 3 to 6 monosaccharide units on hydrolysis. These carbohydrates are attached to either the side chain oxygen atom of serine or threonine residues by O-glycosidic linkages or to the side chain nitrogen of asparagine residues by N-glycosidic linkages.

The commonly found oligosaccharides in foods are sucrose, maltose, lactose, raffinose and stachyose. 

Sucrose found throughout the plant world is most abundant in sugarcane, sugar beet and maple syrup. It is the familiar table sugar.

Foods high in oligosaccharides include onions, chicory, Jerusalem artichoke, asparagus globe artichoke, leek, garlic banana, and wheat. Oligosaccharides also present in dried beans, soybeans, peas and lentils. 

Oligosaccharides have been dietary staples since antiquity and have received mush less attention than other carbohydrates, including simple sugars or dietary fiber.

In the body, oligosaccharides are components of cell membranes allowing cells to recognized and interact with one another.

Oligosaccharides play a key role in processes that take place in the surfaces of cells, particularly in cell-cell interactions and immune recognition.

Lately, interest in oligosaccharides has increased duetheir functional properties. These induce sweetening, ability, fat replacement, and enhancement of a ‘healthy’ gastrointestinal tract.
Complex carbohydrate of oligosaccharide

Functions of Carbohydrate in Food

Functions of Carbohydrate in Food
The carbohydrates in our diet come from plant foods. Simple carbohydrates include the different forms of sugar (monosaccharides and disaccharides); complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) include starches and dietary fiber.

Carbohydrates are called carbohydrates because they are essentially hydrates of carbon. Specifically they are component of carbon and water and have a composition of Cn(H2O)n.

The major nutritional role of carbohydrate is to provide energy; digestible carbohydrate provide 4 kilocalories per gram.

No single carbohydrate is essential, but carbohydrates do participate in many requires functions on the body.

Carbohydrates perform these function in food:

• Flavor enhancing and sweetening due to caramelization
• Water binding
• Contributing to texture (starch, gluten)
• Hygroscopic nature/’water absorption
• Providing source of yeast food
• Regulating gelatin of pectin dispersing molecules of protein or starch
• Acting to subdivide shortening for creaming control crystallization
• Preventing spoilage
• Delaying coagulation proteins
• Giving structure due to crystals
• Affecting osmosis
• Affecting color of fruits
• Affecting texture (viscosity, structure)
• Contributing flavor other than sweetness

Depending in the food, carbohydrates play many roles. For examples, in lollipops the sugar, glucose and/or glucose and fructose will control crystallization, give structures due to sucrose and serve as a flavor enhancer and sweetener due to all three sugars.

In more complex system such as a pineapple upside down cake, carbohydrate play many roles as it consists of all categories of carbohydrates-monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides.

Functions of Carbohydrate in Food