The body’s preferred source of energy is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients along with protein and fat. When you eat carbohydrates, they enter your bloodstream in the form of glucose, which is the body’s preferred source of energy.
Carbohydrates – Body’s a Preferred Source of Energy
Our brain in fact relies on Carbohydrates for energy. Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and dairy products are some of the best sources of Carbohydrates.
Carbohydrate (the body’s preferred source of energy) is a nutritional category for sugars and our body breaks down them to make sugars.
When sugar moves from the digestive tract to the bloodstream, our body kicks into action to transfer it to our tissues where it can be processed and used for energy.
When people say that carbohydrates are bad and should be avoided, they are usually talking about sugars and refined carbohydrates like white bread, white rice, and noodles.
How does the body use energy (Carbohydrates)?
- When we eat and our blood sugar rises, insulin is secreted into the blood.
- The body breaks down most carbohydrates (the body’s preferred source of energy) from the foods we eat and converts them to a type of sugar called glucose.
- Insulin, a hormone synthesized in the pancreas, is one of the body’s main tools for sugar management.
- It prompts our muscle and fat cells to let glucose in and jump-starts to convert sugar into energy.
- The degree to which a unit of insulin lowers blood sugar, helps us understand something called insulin sensitivity.
What are the terms “insulin sensitivity” and “insulin resistance”?
The more a given unit of insulin lowers blood sugar, the more sensitive you are to insulin. If insulin sensitivity goes down, that’s known as insulin resistance.
The pancreas still sends out insulin, but cells, especially muscle cells are less and less responsive to it so blood sugar fails to decrease and blood insulin continues to rise.
Chronically consuming a lot of carbohydrates may lead to insulin resistance and many scientists believe that insulin resistance can lead to a serious condition called metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome. involves a constellation of symptoms, including high blood sugar, increased waist circumference, and high blood pressure. And its prevalence is growing rapidly all over the world. As much as 32% of the population of the US has metabolic syndrome.
Even though Carbodyrates are an easy source of energy but their excessive use can be dangerous. They can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes.
Types of Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates can be simple or complex depending on their structure.
- Glucose, fructose, and galactose are simple sugars. Link two of them together and you have got the disaccharide, lactose, maltose, and sucrose.
- Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, have three or more simple sugars strung together.
- Complex carbohydrates with three or ten linked sugars Oligosaccharides. Those with more than ten are polysaccharides.
During digestion, our body breaks down those complex carbohydrates into their monosaccharide building blocks, which our cells can use for energy. So when we eat food, the sugar level in our blood, generally about a teaspoon, goes up. But our digestive tract does not respond to all carbohydrates the same.
Consider starch and fiber, both polysaccharides, both derived from plants, both composed of hundreds to thousands of monosaccharides joined together, but they are joined together differently and that changes the effect they have on our body.
Summary
Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred energy source because they are a source of readily available energy. They’re a necessary part of a healthy diet for our bodies. However, limiting our intake of sugars and refined carbohydrates is generally a good idea though because the calories can add up quickly and these foods don’t offer much in the way of vitamins, minerals, or fiber.
Related Topics
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why are carbohydrates the body’s preferred source of energy?
Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy because they are quickly absorbed and converted into energy. This energy drives the brain and the body.
2. What is glucose?
Glucose is a simple sugar with six carbon atoms and one aldehyde group. It is also known as Dextroses, grape sugar, or blood sugar. It naturally occurs in both combined and free states. In the free state, it is present in fruits and in honey.
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Author
Ms Sana Javed ([email protected])
Sana has been working at Whatsinsight since 2020 as a content writer.
She has an MPhil degree in pharmaceutics.
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