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Carbohydrate

Carbohydrate is important as a nutrient. It provides a source of energy and a constant source of glucose. If the diet is low in carbohydrates, a greater % of dietary protein is used to meet the body's glucose demands. This means that less protein will then be available for growth and repair of body tissues.

Carbohydrates can be classified according to their structure, where the three main groups are mono?, di?, and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides are the simplest form, disaccharides comprise two monosaccharide units and polysaccharides comprise many monosaccharide units joined together

Monosaccharides = glucose, fructose and galactose

Disaccharides = sucrose, lactose and maltose

Polysaccharides = starch, glycogen, 11?glucan

Complex Carbohydrates (polysaccharides)

Starch is a polysaccharide and accounts for almost 60% of total carbohydrate intake. Food rich in starch include potatoes, cereals, bread, rice and pasta.

Fibre, which is a non starch polysaccharide (NSP), contains a mixture of substances including complex carbohydrates which cannot be digested in the small intestine of humans, but pass into the large intestine where they are fermented by bacteria. For example cellulose, pectin, ß?glucan and guar gum. The substances that make up fibre may have different actions in the body. A small amount of starch is also indigestible and passes with NSP into the large intestine. This is known as resistant starch and has similar properties to NSP.

The food and Nutrition Strategy for Northern Ireland recommended that 50% of food intake should come from complex carbohydrates and that 30g dietary fibre, from cereal and vegetable sources, should be consumed each day.

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