Carbohydrates: Types, Sources, and Health Implications

1. Carbohydrates • Athletes are not the only people who need carbohydrates. Everyone needs them. • Carbohydrates are the sugars,starches and fibersfound in foods. They are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. • There are two general types of carbohydrates: simpleandcomplex.

2. Photosynthesis • Plants convert energy from the sun into glucose

4. Sugars and Their Sources • Fructose- fruits and honey • Glucose- blood, grapes, corn • Mannose- eggs • Galactose- animals and humans • Sucrose- table sugar • Maltose- malted grains • Lactose- milk

5. Monosaccharides vs. Disaccharides • Monosaccharide- a sugar containing one basic molecule • Ex. Fructose, glucose, mannose, galactose • Disaccharide- two monosaccharides joined together • Ex. Sucrose, maltose, lactose

6. Hydroxyl group- an oxygen atom and a hydrogen atom bonded together • Ribose- a special sugar that contains only five carbon atoms and is the building block for ribonucleic acid RNA

7. Hydrolysis of Sugar • Hydrolysis is a process where a large molecule, such as sugar, is divided into smaller parts by adding water • Hydrolysis is used by the body to digest disaccharides in food • Sweetened drinks are not as thirst quenching as water because the water is being used to break down the sugars

8. Conditions for Hydrolysis • 1. The presence of an enzyme to set off the reaction. Different enzymes hydrolyze different sugars but all the enzymes end in –ase. Ex sucrase for sucrose • 2. The addition of an acid • 3. The addition of heat

10. Supersaturated Solutions • A supersaturated solution is one that can hold more solute at a given temperature than it normally could • Solvent- the liquid in which something is dissolved, ex. water • Solute- the substance that is being dissolved, ex. sugar • Solubility- the ability of a solute to dissolve in a solvent

11. Caramelization • The changing of sugar into a brown liquid when it subjected to high or prolonged heat

12. Nutritional Value of Sugar • All sugar types produce 4 calories per gram when they are digested • Glucose is the form of sugar that the body uses • Glucose that is not immediately needed is converted to glycogen, multibranched chains of glucose • 2/3 of glycogen is stored in the muscles and 1/3 is stored in the liver

13. Nutritional Value of Sugar • When the body needs energy, glucose molecules break off of glycogen stores and are used as energy • The average U.S. diet provides about 18% of calories from sugar added to food • Registered dieticians recommend that this percentage be reduced to no more than 10% of calories from added sugar

14. Health Concerns Related to Sugar • Dental caries or tooth decay is caused by acid damaging tooth enamel • Bacteria that live in the mouth feed on sugar and produce a sticky film called plaque • Sugar and other carbohydrates can cause tooth decay • Reducing sugar intake, brushing, flossing and having regular dental cleanings will reduce plaque buildup and tooth decay

15. Health Concerns Related to Sugar • Diabetes Mellitus- the body’s inability to move glucose from the bloodstream to the cells • Insulin- a hormone produced by the pancreas which allows glucose to move into the cells to provide energy • People with diabetes either don’t produce any insulin (type I) or their bodies are resistant to it and do not recognize its presence (type II)

16. Health Concerns Related to Sugar • Weight gain is caused when more calories are consumed than are burned off by the body • All excess calories, including from sugar, are stored in the body as fat • Sugar consumption should be in moderation since foods high in added sugars usually provide few other nutrients