Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are organic compounds that include sugars, starches, and cellulose and are composed mainly of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They serve as energy sources, energy stores, and structural materials in living organisms.

Monosaccharide: A simple sugar molecule that cannot be hydrolyzed into a smaller carbohydrate. Monosaccharides are the basic units from which larger carbohydrates are built.
Carbohydrate digestion: The enzymatic breakdown of dietary carbohydrates into absorbable sugars. Digestion converts many complex dietary carbohydrates into monosaccharides.
Dietary fiber: A group of mostly nondigestible carbohydrates and related plant substances that pass through the small intestine. Fiber is a dietary carbohydrate with effects distinct from digestible sugars and starches.
Glucose: A six-carbon monosaccharide that is a major cellular fuel and blood sugar. This specific sugar is a central reference point for carbohydrate metabolism.
Disaccharide: A carbohydrate composed of two monosaccharides joined by a glycosidic bond. Joining two simple sugars produces familiar carbohydrates such as sucrose and lactose.
Glycolysis: A metabolic pathway that converts glucose into pyruvate while producing ATP and NADH. It is a central route for extracting energy from glucose.
Glycemic index: A ranking of carbohydrate-containing foods by their effect on blood glucose compared with a reference food. It compares the blood-glucose responses to different carbohydrate foods.
Fructose: A six-carbon monosaccharide found in fruits, honey, and sucrose. Its structure differs from glucose despite sharing the same molecular formula.
Oligosaccharide: A carbohydrate composed of a short chain of monosaccharide units. Short sugar chains occur in cell recognition and in foods such as legumes.
Glycogenesis: The synthesis of glycogen from glucose for storage, chiefly in liver and muscle. Excess glucose can be assembled into a readily mobilized carbohydrate store.

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