Carbohydrates: what are they, types and characteristics of these molecules?

The importance of carbohydrates goes beyond bread and rice. Let's see what they are.

Carbohydrates, glucides or carbohydrates are molecules of biological origin, which owe their name to their chemical composition They owe their name to their chemical composition, since they are mainly composed of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen.

From a nutritional point of view, together with lipids and proteins, they are an essential macronutrient in any diet. To get an idea of its effectiveness, professional sports associations estimate that an athlete should ingest 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour of exercise. Of course, this is the most effective cellular fuel in nature.

Even so, the world of carbohydrates holds many more secrets than you might at first expect: from types, functions, pathologies due to lack of intake to certain statistical data, today we teach you everything you need to know about carbohydrates.

What are carbohydrates: source of vital energy?

To begin with, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of carbohydrates from an ecological and economic point of view. These biomolecules make up more than 90 % of the dry weight of plants, and are therefore the most abundant nutrients on Earth, accounting for about 75 % of the total dry weight of plants.They represent approximately 75 % of the total organic matter on our planet. This is why they are considered the most efficient and essential components when it comes to storing energy and acting as intermediaries in metabolic reactions in living beings.

However, their functionality does not end here. Carbohydrates are part of are part of our own genetic code that defines us as a species and as individuals, since each of the pentoses that give rise to the nucleotides of DNA and RNA is a carbohydrate.Indeed, each of the pentoses that give rise to the nucleotides of DNA and RNA is a carbohydrate.

On the other hand, they also form part of the cell wall of many bacteria and plants or as an integral component of the exoskeleton of various groups of arthropods. The functionality of carbohydrates on living structures is practically infinite, since they are also associated with lipids and lipids. lipids and proteins, forming complex compounds that ensure life on our planet. that guarantee life on our planet.

An essential role in the global economy

Carbohydrates have functions beyond biological structures and our own genetic code, which is an understatement to say the least. From an economic point of view, they also bring multiple benefits.

To give a quick example, it is calculated that to produce half a kilo of lentils (20 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams) requires a total of 25 liters of water, while the most expensive cereal, rice, requires 1,700 liters for the same amount.

On the other hand, it takes about 2,400 liters to make one serving of hamburger meat, which does not contain any carbohydrates. Of course, each food has its own nutritional benefits, so we'll leave issues of dietary choices for another time. We are simply documenting the inexpensive cost of producing this type of food.

Beyond the food arena, carbohydrates are ubiquitous in society. are ubiquitous in human society as useful objects.. One example is cellulose, an essential component of most of the sheets of paper we work with. We can also give as an example cellulose nitrate, which is used in the synthesis of plates and cements, among many other things. We believe that with all these applications, the essentiality of carbohydrates in modern society is more than clear.

Types of carbohydrates

From a biochemical point of view, carbohydrates can be divided into monosaccharides can be divided into monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides.. The essential difference between these types of molecules is the number of monosaccharides that form them. Although it may sound redundant, it is necessary to point out that the monosaccharide is the basic functional unit and cannot be hydrolyzed into simpler compounds.

On the other hand, polysaccharides are composed of 10 or more monosaccharides and can present complex structures in the form of branches. Beyond chemical formulas, we find it more useful to classify carbohydrates according to their food functionality. Let's get down to it.

Sugars are generally monosaccharides or disaccharides.They include glucose, fructose or sucrose, for example. This type of carbohydrate is normally found in fruits and milk, but it can also be added to desserts and other recipes by humans, since it is manufactured in grains.

Despite its nutritional importance, an excessive intake of simple sugars in the diet is not recommended, because during its processing at the cellular level, free radicals are generated that can adhere to DNA, lipids and proteins, damaging them (this is known as oxidation). Thus, excessive glucose intake has been correlated with faster cellular aging.

Starch, on the other hand, is a complex polysaccharide made up of many monomers or sugars.. They are found in plants, since their essential function is the storage of energy in the plant world within specific organelles, the amyloplasts. It is perhaps surprising to learn that starch is the main carbohydrate in the human diet, as it is found in bread, corn, cereals, potatoes, certain legumes, fruits, rice and dairy products.

Lastly, we have fiber, a food substance made up of a set of heterogeneous biological compounds (polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, oligosaccharides, oligosaccharides, oligomeric (polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, lignin and other similar compounds). It is interesting to know that the human being cannot digest this carbohydrate, for this reason it undergoes a total or partial fermentation in the large intestine thanks to the intestinal flora (symbiotic bacteria).

On the other hand, fiber cannot be considered a nutrient in the strict sense, since it does not participate directly in the metabolic processes of the human being. Even so, it is an essential part of the physiological well-being of the individual, since it promotes the peristaltic movements of the intestine, favors the growth and maintenance of the intestinal flora, and can act as a physical barrier when mixed with water, since it forms a protective layer of the intestinal wall. For all these reasons, it is recommended that a human being should consume at least 5-10 grams of soluble fiber per day.

Nutritional functions

At this point, we believe that the functionality of carbohydrates is almost self-explanatory, but we still provide some final facts that put their role in the modern diet into perspective.

It is estimated that carbohydrates are the main source of energy in humans, as they usually account for 60% of a person's daily energy expenditure.. On the other hand, the concentration of carbohydrates in our own tissues is usually about 10 grams per kilogram of body weight.

The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and the WHO (World Health Organization), for their part, recommend that 55-75 % of the energy in the diet should come from carbohydrates, but be careful: only 10 % can correspond to the intake of free sugars, since their previously mentioned oxidative potential is something to be taken into account.

Carbohydrate metabolism disorders

Finally, we see it essential to close this whole terminological conglomerate with some information concerning carbohydrate-related diseases. Sufferers of this type of pathology generally lack adequate amounts of the enzymes necessary to break down polysaccharides into the most basic monomer, glucose, which can be transported in the Blood and stored in the liver in the form of glycogen.which can be transported in the blood and stored in the liver in the form of glycogen.

Yes, you guessed it. In this group we find the infamous diabetes, a disease characterized by the lack of production or malfunction of insulin. This hormone helps the monosaccharide to enter the cells so that they can use it as a source of energy, so its inefficiency results in atypical blood glucose levels. 1 out of every 11 adults in the world has some type of diabetes.Therefore, it is safe to say that carbohydrate metabolism disorders are the order of the day.

Summary

As we have seen in this space, carbohydrates go far beyond bread and bread products. go far beyond bread and cereals. These biomolecules make up a large part of the earth's organic matter, are part of the genetic code of all living beings, are an excellent food with high economic profitability and make up a not inconsiderable portion of our physical structure.

Thus, when talking about these biomolecules, we must bear in mind that even the paper we use to work with is partly composed of them. These substances surround us at all times and compose us, which is why we cannot conceive of life without them.

Bibliographic references:

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• Carbohydrates, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved October 9 from https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/ency/article/002469.htm
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