Carbohydrates Sources of Energy Nutrients By Rudi Hernandez

Carbohydrates Sources of Energy & Nutrients By: Rudi Hernandez November 4, 2016

• What are Carbohydrates? • What is the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates? • Glucose • How do our bodies break down carbohydrates? • Why do we need Carbohydrates? • How much carbohydrates should we eat? • What disorders are related to carbohydrate metabolism?

What are Carbohydrates? • An important energy source for the entire body • Preferred energy source for nerve cells, including those of the brain • Fruit, vegetables, & grains

What is the Difference between Simple & Complex Carbohydrates? • SIMPLE: – Sugar • COMPLEX: – Starch – Fiber

GLUCOSE • Glucose is the most abundant sugar molecule found in our diets and in our bodies • Does not generally occur by itself in foods but attaches to other sugars • In our bodies, GLUCOSE IS THE PREFERRED SOURCE OF ENERGY FOR THE BRAIN, and it is a very IMPORTANT SOURCE OF ENERGY for all cells

How do your bodies break down Carbohydrates? • Carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth - the starch in the food mixes with saliva & saliva breaks starch into smaller particles • The majority of carbohydrate digestion occurs in the small intestine • Then enters the bloodstream and travels to the liver

• Once in the liver - If needed immediately for energy, the liver releases glucose back into the blood stream where it can travel to the cells to provide energy - If there is no immediate demand by the body for glucose, it is stored in our liver and muscles

Why do we need Carbohydrates? • Carbohydrates are an excellent source of energy for all our cells • Our red blood cells can utilize only glucose • Our brain and other nervous tissues primarily rely on glucose - This is why you get tired, irritable, and shaky when you have not eaten for a prolonged period of time • Carbohydrates fuel exercise

How much Carbohydrates should we eat? • The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for carbohydrate is based on the amount of glucose our brain utilizes • The current RDA for carbohydrate for adults 19 years of age or OLDER is 130 grams per day

What disorders are related to Carbohydrate metabolism? • DIABETES - A chronic disease in which the body can no longer regulate glucose * blood glucose levels become dangerously high or fall dangerously low • Type 1 diabetes - Disorder in which the body cannot produce enough insulin * daily insulin injections

• Type 2 diabetes - Progressive disorder in which body cells become less responsive to insulin - This type of diabetes develops progressively over a long period of time

References • Thomas J. & Manore M. , Nutrition: An applied approach. Benjamin Cummings. San Francisco: 2006