Hello! After some experimenting with the new controls of the new site, I have finally (I think) figured out the new settings and controls of the blog page. Thank you for being so patient during the long lay over and construction of the new site! That being said, in the spirit of getting the grasp on the basic handles of things, I thought it might be wise to take us back to the ground level and get a better understanding of our basic macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins and Lipids (Fat).
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| Whether simple or complex, carbohydrates come in many forms and structures. |
Today we will focus on the most demonized of the three over the past decade; Carbohydrates. All living cells contain carbohydrates, which we get primarily from plant based foods. Carbohydrates have been deemed “bad” among many health buffs, because of the fact that excess consumption of carbohydrates can indeed be converted into fat and of course consuming too many simple sugars can drastically increase the risk of diseases such as type-II diabetes. Perhaps if we understood what a carbohydrate actually is, then understand how they work and their role in the body, it may help us understand how to and how much to consume, which is my goal for the oncoming post as we tie them all together.
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| Photosynthesis: By synthesizing carbon dioxide and water, carbohydrates are formed. |
The majority of carbohydrates come from plant sources and as the name would suggest, contains carbon and water. Combine carbon, oxygen and hydrogen and you would have an actual carbohydrate, which is created from that old process known as photosynthesis. As the sun provides energy, water, carbon dioxide and chlorophyll interact to form glucose, the most typical sugar. Roughly 75% of a plant's dried contents are carbohydrate based. (1) From this point, carbohydrates can be categorized into three major categories: Monosaccharides, Disaccharides, and Polysaccharides.
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| A molecular structure of glucose. We can tell just from the hexose structure that this is a monosaccharide |
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| Clasic mono and disaccharides in their better known forms. |
Monosaccharides: The basic unit of carbohydrates also known as simple sugars. There are over 200 monosaccharides in nature (2), but we will focus on the hexose variety (6 carbon atoms in their molecular structure); Glucose, Fructose and Galactose. Glucose (Blood sugar) is found naturally in foods and is the most typical sugar. Fructose, the sweetest of the simple sugars is found mainly is fruits and honey. Galactose does not occur freely in nature, but forms milk sugars in lactating mammals. (1)
Disaccharides: When two monosaccharides combine we have ourselves a disaccharide. These are also known as simple sugars. Disaccharides contain glucose and compose of three types: Sucrose, Lactose and Maltose.
Sucrose: Equal parts glucose and fructose make up sucrose. Table sugar is the most common example, but many foods that contain carbohydrates also contain sucrose.
Lactose: Known as milk sugars, lactose is only found naturally in milk and is composed of glucose and galactose. If you are lactose intolerant than this simple sugar is not your friend as your body lacks the amount of enzymes responsible for breakdown of lactose.
Maltose: Made up from two glucose molecules most commonly found in beer and cereal. Maltose accounts for a very small portion of our carbohydrate intake.
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| Starches and fiber come from many sources, but not all types starch and fiber are alike. |
Polysaccharides: Can be formed from as little as ten or comprised of thousands of monosaccharides, this group of carbohydrates are divided into plant and animal varieties. We will focus on plant based polysaccharides, as animal (glycogen) is more interesting if we are discussing physiology. When talking about plant polysaccharides we know them traditionally as starch and fiber. Starch is the most familiar plant polysaccharide and is the storage form of carbohydrates in plants.(2)
Starch is plentiful in seeds, grains (pastas, breads, cereals) and potatoes among others. Starch exists in two forms: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is constructed in a long chain of glucose molecules which looks like the picture below and break down slower in the body compared to the amylopectin structure, which offers a greater surface area, thus allow for faster breakdown in the body. We will discuss the difference between the breakdown, absorption and usage of each of these starches in the coming posts. Fiber, the other plant polysaccharide, is another carbohydrate that contains cellulose, the most abundant organic molecule on Earth. Found only in plants, fiber is classified into two groups; soluble and insoluble. Again, we will discuss their role more in depth at a later date, but for today we will focus on introducing them.
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| Amylose, a long straight chain of glucose molecules, breakdown slower in in the body. Whereas, amylopectin has a higher surface area and allows for more rapid breakdown. |
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| Think of starches and their surface area like this. Amylopectin fans out allowing digestive enzymes a better shot of grabbing hold, thus breaking down faster in the body. |
Soluble Fiber: Able to dissolve in water, insoluble fiber is found in fruits, oats, seeds, nuts and beans. Once it meets up with water it forms into a viscous gel, which can help slow digestion and appears to help regulate blood sugar levels, which research has shown has the ability to lower cholesterol (LDLs) (1)
Insoluble Fiber: Unable to dissolve in water, these types of fiber help speed food throughout the digestive tract, thus are often recommended for those with constipation due to this laxative effect. Insoluble fiber can be found in vegetables, grains, roots and leaves. (1)
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| Carbohydrates, both simple and complex can come from many sources. Some are obvious, but others not so much. |
There we have it, the cast to our ongoing series of blogs to come in the carbohydrate department. There plenty of other interesting details about different saccharides, glycogen, pectin and of course the chemical components of them all, but for the sake of time we will stick to the members of the carb family most often seen and heard everyday. Our journey has just begun so stayed tuned for the next installment and discover what carbohydrates'' role are in the body and why we shouldn't fear them as much as we have been led to believe. BTW, Below is a structure of glycogen molecule. Take a look on how complex these guys can get! Thanks for reading!
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.” -Theodore Roosevelt
*I am not a doctor or a licensed physician. I am in no way diagnosing anything and recommend that you speak to your physician before making any medical/supplemental/nutritional decisions.
*I am not a registered nutritionist or dietitian. The information presented is for education purposes only.
1. MxArdle,W. Katch, F. Katch, V. Sports and Exercise Nutrition 4th edition (3-19) NY: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
2. Powers,S. Howley, E. (2007) Exercise Physiology Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance 6th edition (478-482) NY: McGraw Hill
A little more to this than just a few simple chains I'd say!
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