Carbohydrates name Axia College of University of Phoenix Course: SCI 241 – The Science of Nutrition Facilitator: Douglas M. Turner, PhD, CRNA, CNE February 1, 2008

What are Carbohydrates A main source of energy Made of carbon, hydrogen & oxygen Sugar based molecules Carbohydrates come from a wide array of foods - bread, beans, milk, popcorn, potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, corn, and cherry pie. They also come in a variety of forms. The most common and abundant are sugars, fibers, and starches. The basic building block of a carbohydrate is a sugar molecule, a simple union of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Starches and fibers are essentially chains of sugar molecules. Some contains hundreds of sugars. Some chains are straight, others branch wildly.

Simple Carbohydrates Digested quickly Contains few essential vitamins All carbohydrates are made up of units of sugar ("saccharride"). Carbohydrates containing only one unit of sugar (called "monosaccharides") or two sugar units of sugar (called "disaccharides") are known as simple sugars or simple carbohydrates. Simple sugars are typically sweet-tasting (glucose derives from the Greek word for "sweet") and are rapidly metabolized by the body and converted into energy. In fact, simple sugars need almost no digesting - they can enter the bloodstream immediately. Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly. Many simple carbohydrates contain refined sugars and few essential vitamins and minerals. Examples include fruits, fruit juice, milk, yogurt, honey, molasses, maple syrup and sugar.

Complex Carbohydrates Provides more energy Provides health benefits Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and are usually packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Examples are vegetables, breads, cereals, legumes and pasta. 1.   Weight management Foods that are high in complex carbohydrates are often lower in calories. It generally takes more time to eat 100 calories of a banana than it does to consume 100 calories of soda. Calorie for calorie, complex carbohydrates are more satisfying and the calories add up more slowly when compared to simple carbs. 2.   Fiber Most Americans don’t get the recommended amount of fiber per day: 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Increasing your complex carbohydrate foods always means an associated rise in fiber intake. And fiber helps you feel fuller for longer, meaning you’ll feel the need to eat less often. 3.   Nutrients There is no limit to the amount of nutritional benefits you get from switching to complex carbohydrates. These foods contain vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and other nutrients that are rarely present in simple-sugar food items. (The Diet Channel, 2006)

A source of energy Helps to form proteins Sugars in the Body A source of energy Helps to form proteins Sugars are a source of energy for the body. During intense physical activity, they are the main energy source. There are no nutritional differences among sugars. The body uses all types in the same way. During digestion, sugars such as sucrose and lactose and other carbohydrates such as starches break down into simple (or single) sugars. Simple sugars then travel through the blood stream to body cells. There they provide energy and help form proteins, or are stored for future use. The brain and red blood cells can only use glucose for energy. During pregnancy, glucose also helps form cells and produce milk. The body can make its own glucose or get it from foods.

Benefits of Carbohydrates Source of Easy Energy Benefits Muscle Tissue Benefits Digestion The benefit of carbs is easily-obtained energy in the form of glucose. When eaingt foods containing carbohydrate, digestive enzymes in the mouth (saliva), stomach and intestine rapidly break it down into simple sugars and ultimately glucose. The glucose is then absorbed through the walls of the intestine into the bloodstream, and then either distributed to cells and muscles with the help of insulin for immediate use, or retained as an energy reserve in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen, or stored as body fat. Although protein gives us glucose too, it takes much longer. Furthermore, some cell tissues (eg. in the brain) depend upon glucose from carbohydrate, which is why one of the side-effects of low-carb diets is a reduction in brain function. The ease and speed with which the body can convert glucose from simple carbs into energy, is illustrated by the fact that diabetics suffering an episode of hypoglycemia (very low blood glucose levels) can make an almost instant recovery after eating a couple of cubes of sugar, or equivalent. Carbs Benefit Muscle Tissue When our body needs energy it first looks for glucose from carbohydrates. If insufficient carb glucose is available from food (eg. because your diet is very low carb, or because you have metabolic disorders preventing normal use of available glucose), the body helps itself to glucose stored as glycogen in fatty tissue. If more energy is needed, the body then burns protein tissue in the muscles. In short, the availability of carbohydrate energy prevents the body from breaking down muscle tissue for fuel. Very Complex Carbohydrates (Fiber) Benefits Digestion Dietary fiber is classified into 2 types: insoluble and soluble. Both types of fiber are composed of dense indigestible polysaccharide carbs whose structure cannot be converted into glucose by human digestive enzymes. Paradoxically, the indigestibility of fiber makes it a very healthy addition to our daily diet. Insoluble fiber (eg. cellulose, a few hemicelluloses and lignin in plants and whole grains) benefits digestion by stimulating peristalsis - the muscle movements that propel food along the colon. Being bulky, the fiber allows the colonic muscles to get a better "grip". Point is, if food moves faster through the large intestine, the risk of digestive disorders (eg. constipation, diverticulitis, even colon cancer) is reduced.

Healthy Sources of Carbohydrates Whole wheat Brown Rice Whole-grain Pastas Carbohydrates are classified as simple or complex. The classification depends on the chemical structure of the particular food source and reflects how quickly the sugar is digested and absorbed. Simple carbohydrates have one (single) or two (double) sugars while complex carbohydrates have three or more. Examples of single sugars from foods include fructose (found in fruits) and galactose (found in milk products). Double sugars include lactose (found in dairy), maltose (found in certain vegetables and in beer), and sucrose (table sugar). Honey is also a double sugar, but unlike table sugar, contains a small amount of vitamins and minerals. Complex carbohydrates, often referred to as "starchy" foods, include: breads cereals starchy vegetables legumes rice pastas Simple carbohydrates that contain vitamins and minerals occur naturally in: fruits milk and milk products vegetables Simple carbohydrates are also found in processed and refined sugars such as: candy table sugar syrups (not including natural syrups such as maple) regular carbonated beverages

Diabetes Cannot regulate glucose Glucose in the blood cannot move into cells Diabetes is a set of related diseases in which the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Glucose in the blood gives you energy—the kind you need when you walk briskly, run for a bus, ride your bike, take an aerobics class, and perform your day-to-day chores. Glucose in the blood is produced by the liver from the foods you eat. In a healthy person, the blood glucose level is regulated by several hormones, one of which is insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas, a small organ near the stomach that also secretes important enzymes that help in the digestion of food. Insulin allows glucose to move from the blood into liver, muscle, and fat cells, where it is used for fuel. People with diabetes either do not produce enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or cannot use insulin properly (type 2 diabetes), or both. In diabetes, glucose in the blood cannot move into cells, and it stays in the blood. This not only harms the cells that need the glucose for fuel, but also harms certain organs and tissues exposed to the high glucose levels.

Inability to handle sugar Pancreas send too much insulin Hypoglycemia Inability to handle sugar Pancreas send too much insulin Hypoglycemia is the body's inability to properly handle the large amounts of sugar that the average American consumes today. All carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits and grains, as well as simple table sugar), are broken down into simple sugars by the process of digestion. This sugar enters the blood stream as glucose and our level of blood sugar rises. The pancreas then secretes a hormone known as insulin into the blood in order to bring the glucose down to normal levels. In hypoglycemia, the pancreas sends out too much insulin and the blood sugar plummets below the level necessary to maintain well-being.

References Clark, K (2006, October 23). Good Carbs vs. Bad Carbs: How To Pick The Best Carbs For Your Diet. Retrieved February 2, 2008, from The Diet Channel Web site: http://www.thedietchannel.com/Good-Carbs-Vs-Bad-Carbs-How-To-Pick-The-Best-Carbs-For-Your-Diet.htm Unknown, (2003). Natural complex carbohydrates food list. Retrieved February 2, 2008, from weightlossforall Web site: http://www.weightlossforall.com/complex-carbs.htm