The sugars

The importance of carbohydrates in biology

Carbohydrates are the most common source of energy in living organisms, and their digestion requires less water than protein or fat. The proteins and fats are structural components necessary for biological tissues and cells, and are also a source of energy for most organisms.

In particular, the monosaccharides are the greatest resource for metabolism. When there is no immediate need for often monosaccharides are converted into very best forms for the space, such as polysaccharides. In many animals, including humans, this form of storage is glycogen, located in the cells of the liver and muscles. The plants instead use the starch as a reserve. Other polysaccharides such as chitin, which contributes to the formation of the exoskeleton of arthropods, instead perform a structural function.

Polysaccharides represent an important class of biological polymers. Their function in living organisms is usually structural or deposit. The starch (a glucose polymer) is used as a storage polysaccharide in plants, and is located either in the form of amylose and in that branched amylopectin. In animals, the structurally similar polymer of glucose is the most densely branched glycogen, sometimes called “animal starch”. The properties of the glycogen allow it to be metabolized more quickly, which suits the active lives of the animals that move. The most widespread forms of glycogen liver glycogen and muscle glycogen. Liver glycogen is found in liver, it is the sugar reserves and energy in animals and lasts 24 hours. Muscle glycogen is the reserve of sugar used by muscle cells directly without going through the bloodstream. The liver glycogen, however, before reaching the cells and, in particular, the muscle tissue must be entered into the bloodstream.

The breakdown of sugars

The classification of the sugars depends on the number of molecules of which they are composed.
– Simple Sugars: they are those that are absorbed faster by the body, which turns them into energy immediately. Are for example simple sugars glucose, fructose (monosaccharide), sucrose, better known as the “common sugar kitchen” and lactose (disaccharides). Cause – if taken alone – an immediate rise in blood glucose in the blood and a sharp drop in this next, going to lead to a feeling of hunger. Simple sugars are contained mainly in fruits, in milk, candies and sweet baked goods (biscuits, pastries, etc.) and spreads (honey, various creams, jams, etc.).
– Complex Sugars: are those in slower digestion, being assimilated gradually, act prolonging satiety. Are for example complex sugars (polysaccharides) the starch contained in bread, pasta, rice, legumes, potatoes, chestnuts, and bananas, and glycogen content in muscles and liver