Carbohydrates

• Athletes are not the only people who need carbohydrates. Everyone needs them.

• Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches and fibers found in foods. They are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

• There are two general types of carbohydrates: simple and complex.

Photosynthesis

• Plants convert energy from the sun into glucose

Sugars and Their Sources

• Fructose- fruits and honey

• Glucose- blood, grapes, corn

• Mannose- eggs

• Galactose- animals and humans

• Sucrose- table sugar

• Maltose- malted grains

• Lactose- milk

Monosaccharides vs. Disaccharides

• Monosaccharide- a sugar containing one basic molecule

• Ex. Fructose, glucose, mannose, galactose

• Disaccharide- two monosaccharides joined together

• Ex. Sucrose, maltose, lactose

• Hydroxyl group- an oxygen atom and a hydrogen atom bonded together

• Ribose- a special sugar that contains only five carbon atoms and is the building block for ribonucleic acid RNA

Hydrolysis of Sugar

• Hydrolysis is a process where a large molecule, such as sugar, is divided into smaller parts by adding water

• Hydrolysis is used by the body to digest disaccharides in food

• Sweetened drinks are not as thirst quenching as water because the water is being used to break down the sugars

Conditions for Hydrolysis

• 1. The presence of an enzyme to set off the reaction. Different enzymes hydrolyze different sugars but all the enzymes end in –ase. Ex sucrase for sucrose

• 2. The addition of an acid

• 3. The addition of heat

Supersaturated Solutions

• A supersaturated solution is one that can hold more solute at a given temperature than it normally could

• Solvent- the liquid in which something is dissolved, ex. water

• Solute- the substance that is being dissolved, ex. sugar

• Solubility- the ability of a solute to dissolve in a solvent

Caramelization

• The changing of sugar into a brown liquid when it subjected to high or prolonged heat

Nutritional Value of Sugar

• All sugar types produce 4 calories per gram when they are digested

• Glucose is the form of sugar that the body uses

• Glucose that is not immediately needed is converted to glycogen, multibranched chains of glucose

• 2/3 of glycogen is stored in the muscles and 1/3 is stored in the liver

Nutritional Value of Sugar

• When the body needs energy, glucose molecules break off of glycogen stores and are used as energy

• The average U.S. diet provides about 18% of calories from sugar added to food

• Registered dieticians recommend that this percentage be reduced to no more than 10% of calories from added sugar

Health Concerns Related to Sugar

• Dental caries or tooth decay is caused by acid damaging tooth enamel

• Bacteria that live in the mouth feed on sugar and produce a sticky film called plaque

• Sugar and other carbohydrates can cause tooth decay

• Reducing sugar intake, brushing, flossing and having regular dental cleanings will reduce plaque buildup and tooth decay

Health Concerns Related to Sugar

• Diabetes Mellitus- the body’s inability to move glucose from the bloodstream to the cells

• Insulin- a hormone produced by the pancreas which allows glucose to move into the cells to provide energy

• People with diabetes either don’t produce any insulin (type I) or their bodies are resistant to it and do not recognize its presence (type II)

Health Concerns Related to Sugar

• Weight gain is caused when more calories are consumed than are burned off by the body

• All excess calories, including from sugar, are stored in the body as fat

• Sugar consumption should be in moderation since foods high in added sugars usually provide few other nutrients