Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are organic substances necessary for the life of the body along with fats and proteins. Carbohydrates are found mainly in plants. This is one of the main sources of energy, formed as a result of metabolism. In the diet of many people, carbohydrates make up the bulk of the food, which creates a feeling of satiety. In the vegetable world carbohydrates account for 70-80% in terms of dry matter, and in the animal body - about 2%.
Carbohydrates are divided into 2 groups: simple (monosaccharides) - glucose, fructose, galactose (crystalline substances, readily soluble in water, often found in plants), disaccharides (sucrose, lactose, maltose, cellobiose) and complex (polysaccharides) - high-molecular compounds. They, in turn, are divided into oligo-saccharides, consisting of 2-10 monosaccharides, the most important of them are the disaccharides named above.
In plants, polysaccharides (cellulose, pectic substances) are a supporting factor. By chemical composition, polysaccharides are divided into hetero- and homopolysaccharides, the latter include starch, cellulose (cellulose), glycogen, inulin.
A large number of carbohydrates in plants is due to the presence of cellulose polysaccharide in the plant cell membrane, and starch deposited in the form of a stock in tubers, roots and seeds. The main amount of carbohydrates in the body of animals accumulates in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. It performs a plastic function, participates in the synthesis of nucleoproteins, enzymes.
Food products containing carbohydrates are potatoes and other vegetables, fruits, bread, cereals, which contain (in addition to starch) oligosaccharides.
By the nature of the effect on human life carbohydrates are divided into digestible (digestible) - sugars and starch, indigestible (indigestible) - cellulose (cellulose), hemicellulose (semicellular) and pectins. The daily human need for carbohydrates is 400-450 g. They participate in the transmission of nerve impulses, regulate the activity of the central nervous system, ensure the formation of antibodies, the specificity of blood groups, and in plants participate in photosynthesis. Vegetable fiber - a mechanical stimulus of the stomach and intestines - activates the peristalsis and the activity of the digestive canal.
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