Carbs – what is it and which functions does it have in our bodies?
Carbohydrates (carbs) is a collective name for sugars, starches and dietary fibers. All of which are built of monosaccharides, which is simple sugars that are interconnected to long chains. Carbs are our bodies primal energy source, it mainly comes from plants but some carbs can also be found in milk products in the form of lactose, milk sugar. The majority of carbs are decomposed to glucose in our bodies, and are used as an energy source. Glucose are the form of energy that our body can use both fastest and most effectively. Glucose can also be stored in our liver and in our muscles to be used later. Read about how much cars we should eat here: https://elifestyle-se.myshopify.com/blogs/nyheter/how-much-carbs-do-we-need
The sugars consist of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Both mono- and disaccharide are sugars. The most common monosaccharide is glucose (dextrose), fructose (fruit sugar) and galactose. When two of these are connected a disaccharide is formed instead. The most famous disaccharide is sucrose, common white sugar.
Carbs with between three and nine sugars are called oligosaccharides and the longest chains are called polysaccharides are can contain up to thousands of monosaccharides (simple sugars). Polysaccharides are divided into digestible, cleavable and non-digestible, non-cleavable polysaccharides. The digestible are starch and the non-digestible are dietary fibers. The most important function for starch (and sugars) are as a energy source, one gram equals 4 kcal. Some cells in our bodies are completely dependent on energy in the form of glucose, among others, cells in our brains, nervous system and the read blood cells.
Unlike sugar and starch, dietary fibers do not contribute with a lot of energy. Earlier, it was considered to not contribute with any energy at all, but in 2005 the got the energy value of 2 kcal per gram. Dietary fibers are divided into water-soluble, gel-forming and fermentable vs. insoluble, non-gel-forming and non-fermentable fibers. Water-soluble, gel-forming and fermentable fibers helps us to keep our weight under control. When this type of fibers comes in contact with water, are gel is formed and this encapsulates the food, this prolongs the digestion and amplifies the feeling of being full. Insoluble, non-gel-forming and non-fermentable fibers gives a filling to the gastrointestinal tract since they absorb some water but are not absorbed by the body.