Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches and fibers, found in foods such as grains, legumes(beans), vegetables, and fruit. The simple carbohydrates, often called simple sugars, are glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose, sucrose, and lactose. The complex carbohydrates are longer chains of simple carbohydrates, they include the fibers and starches.
Once a carbohydrate is broken down into its simplest forms, by the stomach and small intestine, it is absorbed into the blood stream. Carbohydrates provide energy for the body; the brain uses glucose as its primary fuel. The fibers are difficult to break down by the body and may not be absorbed, providing little or no energy.
Carbohydrate Metabolism – The Relationship with Insulin
The energy provided by carbohydrates is in the form of blood glucose, often called blood sugar. Blood glucose levels rise whenever carbohydrates enter the bloodstream. In response to this, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin. Insulin’s role is to channel the glucose into the required tissues for their energy supply and to reduce the blood glucose levels within the blood stream.