Carbohydrates - Benefits and harms of carbohydrates

Introduction of carbohydrates

What are carbohydrates? What are the benefits and harms of carbohydrates? And what sources and functions of carbohydrates?

(( carbo = carbohydrates ))

Carbohydrates which are called starches are organic compounds and one of the main types of nutrients. The importance and benefits of carbo. mainly lie in the fact that they are the most important sources of energy for the body, as the digestive system converts carbo. into glucose (blood sugar), and then the body uses this sugar for energy for cells, tissues, and organs. It also stores any extra sugar in the liver and muscles when it's needed.


Carbohydrates - Benefits and harms of carbohydrates
Carbohydrates - Benefits and harms of carbohydrates


In this article we will talk about the following:

  • Sources and of carbo.
  • Classification of carbo.
  • Carbo. functions.
  • Harmful carbo. and good carbo.
  • Benefits of carbo. for the body.
  • Amount Period daily allowed from carbo.
  • How to digest carbo.
  • The medical cases that affect on digestion of carbo.
  • The carbo. and the sugar percentage in the blood.
  • Carbo. damage.


Sources of carbohydrates

There are many carbos. species,  some of them exist in the form of natural foods Such as fruits and vegetables, and some of them we get it industrially from repetition Processing of some foods.


Classification of carbohydrates

The following are the main three Sections of carbo.: 

Sample carbo.: 

Sample carbo. made up of one or two molecules form of sugar. Examples for sample carbo.: 

Mono sugars, Such as glucose, fructose, and galactose.

Bilateral sugars, Such as sucrose, lactose, and maltose.

From the sources of sample carbo., such as sucrose in coarse sugar, lactose in the milk and dairy products, the fructose found in the fruit. 

Complex carbs.: 

Complex carbs. are long chains from sample carbo., which Contains complex carbo. on three Molecules of sugar or more. The common resources of complex carbs. that is found in cereal Such as full Wheat, barley, and lentils, and oats, and brown rice, corn, also we find it in vegetables like a potato, and legumes such as Beans and peas. 

Fibers:

It is healthy carbo.  not completely digested or disassemble inside the body and fixed its usefulness for health for the heart and management of weight. The resources of fibers are found abundantly in fruits, and vegetables Such as papery vegetables, nuts, dried figs, and raisins, it is also found in legumes and grains.




Carbohydrates functions

Carbo. supply the fuel for muscles working and the central nervous system and energy for all body cells. They moreover avoid protein from being used as an energy source and facilitate fat metabolism.

Carbo. are essential for brain function and nutrition. They are essential for memory and other function of the brain. Also, they are considered a fast energy source.


Harmful carbo. and good carbo.:

According to ((Pritikin Longevity Center)) offers the good and bad carbo. are as follows:

 

1-      The good carbo. are:

·         - Have a Low or moderate in calories.

·         - Considered as high in nutrients.

·         - Devoid of refined sugars and refined grains.

·         - Have high naturally occurring fiber.

·         - Contain low sodium.

·         - Contain low saturated fat.

·         - Have very low cholesterol and other fats.


2-      The harmful carbo. are:

·         - Have high calories.

·         - Full of sugars, white sugar, and honey.

·         - Have low nutrients.

·         - Have low fibers.

·         - Have high sodium.

·         - Sometimes have high saturated fats.

     - Sometimes have high cholesterol and other fats.


Benefits of carbohydrates for the body

Carbs. are considered necessary to help the body on the performance its job in the correct form and from the benefits of carbo. the following: 

1- Benefits of carbo. in a Provide energy and organize glucose in the blood:

Glucose is the main sugar used in the body to provide energy for its tissues and sensory organs. In the end, all sugars should be converted into sample sugar glucose by different liver enzymes. And due to its big importance jobs in different vitality, should maintain glucose levels in the blood fixed relatively. 

Carbohydrates are considered a more important energy source in the body which is one most important carbo. benefits stimulating the body to perform physical and mental tasks, help in the growth of cells, fix it and do its functions. Some people wonder about carbo. and weight and the relationship between them, stop eating some carbo. because it raises the level of sugar in the blood and therefore increases weight, but we advise finding healthy carbo. resources take in some percentage in your foods and calculate carbo. consumption in specified quantities, and not avoid eating it completely. And you can ask a nutrition specialist about what is the carbo. that increase the weight.

 

2- Benefits of carbo. to prevent proteins breakdown  to get energy:

In some cases when glucose is not available, during fasting periods, hunger, or meals food low carbo., use some carbon units such as amino acids in the body  (the main units of proteins) and ketones as sources of energy. 

The process in which the body uses amino acids as a source of energy leads to thinness and atrophy of body organs. So, from the Benefits things of carbo. that the eating some enough quantity from carbo. will prevent the deterioration of the primary structure of muscles and other tissues such as the heart, liver, and kidneys. 

Also from the important roles of carbo. when you eat it, it will prevent ketosis from happening when the body use ketone bodies as a source of energy instead of carbos. 

While the brain will adapt to the use of ketones as fuel or a source of energy, it prefers to use carbo. as a source of energy and requires minimum glucose that presents in the blood in order to work in the correct form and to prevent the brain from enters in a coma condition (Awareness loss). But before happening this adaptation process, when the glucose drop levels in the blood some individuals have a headache. 

To prevent ketosis symptoms, recommended that the ordinary person consume about 50 to 100 grams of carbo. in a day.

 

3- Benefits of carbo. in an operation of Identifying biological cells:

The benefits of carbo. for the body not on careers nutrition just, but rather that it plays a role in an operation identify cellular.  For example, several immunological globulins and peptide hormones contain protein sequences linked by chains from sugars. presence This link from not determines the path which will take it to compound what is in the body. 

also, the carbo. arranged in a certain system rank on external surfaces of the cells, and differ these cells from other types of cells, this method manages with an immunity device to identify the alien objects in the body.

 

4- Benefits of carbo. in use as a flavor and sweetener:

From Benefits of carbo. also Provide sweetness taste for foods, where those receptors found on the tongue are linked with small parts of the carbo. and send what looks like a signal "sweet" to the brain. Different sugars have different sweetness. For example, fructose has double the sweetness of sucrose and sucrose has about 30% more sweetness than glucose.

 

5- Benefits of carbo. as a source of nutrient fibers:

The nutrient fibers such as cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and gum are from important carbo. for several reasons.  From this benefits of carbo. the following: 

The soluble nutrient fibers such as pectin and the undigested gum cross during the small intestine and disintegrate into fatty acids and gases in the large intestine. The fatty acids produced by this method are used as fuel for the large intestines or Could be absorbed into the bloodstream, so, the nutrient fibers are considered necessary for intestine health.

In the general, the consumption of soluble and unsoluble nutrient fibers helps the intestine to rid the stool more easier since the nutrient fibers fiber are not digested in the intestines it leads to an increase in the size of the stool and increases its softness, and prevents constipation.

Besides protection from intestinal diseases, meals food that are rich in fiber have other health benefits, where the nutrient fibers decrease the risk of obesity.


The daily period amount allowed from carbo. :

According to American directions food, it from supposed that from carbo. toward 45-65% of calories that consume it the person Daily.

For the person who eats 2000 grams in a day,  this means that carbo. maybe from about 900 - 1300 grams, then equivalent to around 225 - 325 grams all day. And with that, then quantity carbo. for all people differ according to individual needs.


How to digest carbo. :

Start carbo. from access in the mouth and it ends in the colon, and happen to throw this many things as follows:

In the mouth: The saliva secreted from salivary glands. Saliva works on wetting the food and helps in a chew. launch saliva enzyme called amylase, and amylase works on cracking the sugars.

In the stomach: The food is rich to the stomach across the esophagus, and the food cracks part smaller by different acids in the stomach.

 In the duodenum: The duodenum is considered the first section of the small intestine, where the pancreas started to launch the amylase enzyme which works to break down the carbo. to dextrin and maltose.

 In the second section of the intestine: The wall of the small intestine start with a secretion of lactase enzyme, and this enzyme breakdown sugars into a mono-sugar, where the sugars are absorbed in this form from the intestine into the bloodstream.

In the liver: Once absorbed sugars from the intestines occur the liver large process in which the liver store the sugars as glycogen, and completely transfer glucose residual via the blood into the whole cell in the body.

In the cells: The pancreas secretes insulin hormone that allows the sugars to enter into the cells. Then, the cells transform the sugar into energy that is used for physical and mental jobs in the body.

In the colon: The carbo. residue from the digestion process moves to the colon, then the complete breakdown happened by the bacteria that are found in the intestine. The fibers which not digested exist outside the body by the stool.


The medical cases that affect the digestion of carbo. :

There are found some medical cases that may be form hindrance to the operation of carbo. digestion, and this case usually hereditary rare, of which:

Lactose sensitivity: Sensitive for lactose is a disturbance that impact how to Processing the lactose in the body  (Lactose is the sugar existing in milk, cheese, and other dairy products), then it leads to height ratio in the blood, and therefore it causes many health problems such ruin of the liver, difficulties learning or childbearing turbulence.

Difficult in the absorption of fructose: Also called (genetic fructose intolerance) Which impact how to break down the sugars in the body such as sugars fruits, vegetables, and honey. The symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, and chronic tiredness.

The mucous polysaccharide disease: Is also called Hunter syndrome. This type is genetic turbulence, started usually between the ages 2-4 years, And affects the physical capacity of the body, appearance, mental growth, and member functions by this turbulence.

Turbulence metabolism of pyruvate: It is considered a decrease in the pyruvate dehydrogenase enzyme and it is a type of genetic disorder.


The carbo. and the sugar percentage in the blood :

The sugar percentage indicator or what is called glycemic index is a system ranking for foods containing carbo. on a scale from 0 to 100 according to how quickly they raise blood sugar (glucose) levels when eaten.

High glycemic index foods are foods that are quickly digested, absorbed, and metabolized within the body. These foods lead to marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels that affect cardiovascular health. Examples of high-GI foods include potatoes, white bread, and short-grain rice.

But low glycemic index foods lead to small fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin levels, in addition to being one of the secrets to maintaining long-term health, it reduces the risk of diabetes and heart disease, and is also considered one of the keys to losing excess weight. Examples of low-GI foods include oats, soy products, beans, milk, and lentils.


Carbohydrate damage :

Though from Benefits of carbo. and its importance for jobs of the body, but the eating many carbo. my lead to body damage. The damages of carbs. when eating it in abundance include:

  1. The obesity.
  2. Increase the risk of cerebral stroke and heart disease and arteries.
  3. Increase in the triglycerides in the body.
  4. Diabetes.
Read also...

The best 15 healthy and natural carbohydrate sources


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