Carbohydrate Metabolism [#1046737]

Carbohydrate Metabolism by Ourania Gkouna
English | 2024 | ISBN: 1682518981 | 292 pages | PDF | 12 Mb
Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods. They also occur in dairy products in the form of a milk sugar called lactose. Foods high in carbohydrates include bread, pasta, beans, potatoes, rice, and cereals. Carbohydrates play several roles in living organisms, including providing energy. Byproducts of carbohydrates are involved in the immune system, the development of disease, blood clotting, and reproduction. Carbohydrates are the preferred substrate for contracting skeletal muscles during high-intensity exercise and are also readily utilized during moderate intensity exercise. This use of carbohydrates during physical activity likely played an important role during the survival of early Homo sapiens, and genes and traits regulating physical activity, carbohydrate metabolism, and energy storage have undoubtedly been selected throughout evolution. Carbohydrates are organic molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. The family of carbohydrates includes both simple and complex sugars. Glucose and fructose are examples of simple sugars, and starch, glycogen, and cellulose are all examples of complex sugars. The complex sugars are also called polysaccharides and are made of multiple monosaccharide molecules. Polysaccharides serve as energy storage (e.g., starch and glycogen) and as structural components (e.g., chitin in insects and cellulose in plants). Several major pathways for the utilization of carbohydrates are found in mammalian cells, and although present knowledge of these pathways is extensive, there is much to be learned regarding their relation to one another and to the economy of the living cell. Problems of cellular differentiation and hormonal control may have their solution in part in terms of competition of the several pathways.