Do you know that carbohydrate is one of the main nutrient found in food and drinks? Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms make up carbohydrate molecules, which are organic compounds. Simple and complex sugars are both included in the carbohydrate family. Simple sugars include glucose and fructose, while complex sugars include starch, glycogen, and cellulose. Polysaccharides are complex sugars that are made up of several monosaccharide units. Polysaccharides function as both energy storage and structural components (e.g., starch and glycogen) (e.g., chitin in insects and cellulose in plants). Carbohydrates are broken down during digestion into simple, soluble sugars that may be transferred over the intestinal wall into the circulatory system and distributed to the rest of the body. Carbohydrate digestion starts in the mouth with the action of salivary amylase on starches and finishes with the absorption of monosaccharides across the small intestinal epithelium. The process of cellular respiration begins once the absorbed monosaccharides are delivered to the tissues. The most readily available source of energy in the body is glucose.

Preena N

68 resources

0

1

1

Like