All you need to know about carbohydrates!!!

What are Carbohydrates?

Our nutrition is primarily made up of 2 different type of nutrients namely MACRO-NUTRIENTS and MICRO-NUTRIENTS. As the name suggests, Macro-nutrients are those which are required in large quantities and Micro-nutrients are required in minute quantities but are very important for normal functioning of our body processes. 

The macronutrients are - CARBOHYDRATES, FATS & PROTEIN. 

I shall cover all these nutrients in subsequent articles. Let's get to know about one of the most important macronutrients - 

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for our bodies. They can be broken down into their simplest form, glucose, to provide energy for various biological and physical activities.

Carbohydrates are present in wheat, rice, pulses, potatoes, bananas, cookies, biscuits, breads, bakery products, etc.

Once consumed, our body utilizes the carbohydrates in three different ways, which are:-

1. BURN - First of all, the body converts the carbohydrates into glucose, which is then used to generate energy for numerous body processes and physical activity.
2. STORE - The body can store the excess glucose in the form of glycogen in various glycogen stores like the Liver, muscle tissues, etc. The process of converting glucose into glycogen is called glycogenesis.
3. FURTHER STORAGE - Once the energy needs are met and glycogen stores are full, the body can convert the excess carbohydrates into glucose and store it in the adipose tissues as FATS. Adipose tissues are tissues made of cells filled with stored fat.

Energy output - Each gram of carbohydrate produces 4 calories.

Types of carbohydrates -

Carbohydrates, which are also called saccharides in technical terms, are divided into two main types. 

• Simple carbohydrates - Simple carbohydrates are made up of one or two sugar molecules and are converted to glucose very fast. E.g. - Glucose, fructose, etc.
• Complex carbohydrates - Complex carbohydrates are made up of large chains of sugar molecules and take a little longer to get converted to glucose as compared to simple carbohydrates. E.g. - Starch and fibers.

Metabolism of carbohydrates - 

The digestion of carbohydrates starts in our mouth. The saliva contains an enzyme(enzymes are the catalysts that help in a chemical reaction) called salivary amylase, which starts breaking down carbohydrates in the mouth. Further, the majority of the digestion of carbohydrates takes place in the small intestine in the presence of another enzyme called pancreatic amylase. 

Carbohydrates are hydrolyzed(broken down) into glucose, which is used in various functions and provides energy to the body.

Some complex carbohydrates, like starch, are not digested in the small intestine; they are rather digested in the large intestine. 

SCIENCE - The process doesn't ends at breaking down to glucose. The glucose further breaks down in a process called GLYCOLYSIS to form ATP(Adenosine TriPhosphate) molecules. ATP is the fuel that is used by our cells to generate energy for all cellular processes. Glycolysis takes place in two ways - Aerobic(in the presence of oxygen) and Anaerobic(in the absence of oxygen). Anaerobic glycolysis is faster but less efficient(produces fewer ATP molecules).

Optimum timing for carbohydrate consumption -  

Before we discuss the optimum timing for the consumption of carbohydrates, let's discuss what insulin is.

Insulin is a hormone produced by beta cells of the Pancreas(the Pancreas is a very important gland in our body, which produces a lot of hormones and enzymes to facilitate various processes) in response to increased glucose levels in blood. Insulin helps the movement of glucose from the blood to the liver, muscle tissues, and fat cells for storage etc.

The relation of carbohydrates and insulin spike is two-way, directly proportional, and inversely proportional.

1. Directly proportional - The spike is high in case of consumption of simple carbs, high quantity of carbs, and without other macronutrients like fats and proteins.
2. Inversely proportional - The spike is relatively low in the case of consumption of complex carbohydrates, small quantities, and in combination with fats and proteins.

As per myths doing the rounds for ages, there is no impact of skipping carbohydrates from dinner on your weight or body fat percentage. However, total calories consumed have an effect on your weight and body fat percentage.

Conclusion - It is advised to consume more complex carbohydrates in combination with fats and proteins in order to avoid a higher spike in insulin production, which leads to storage of glucose in the form of glycogen and fats.