Chapter 2.4, Problem 2LO

Summary Introduction

To determine:

The role of carbohydrates in human physiology.

Introduction:

The carbohydrates are a source of food and provide energy to the body. They are of three types namely monosaccharide, disaccharides and polysaccharides. The monosaccharides include single molecule of carbohydrates, disaccharides include lactose, maltose and sucrose and polysaccharides include cellulose, starch and glycogen. The roles of carbohydrates include the conversion of the sugars to glucose which provides energy to the body in the form of ATP; glycogen is stored in the body inside liver which releases energy after converting to glucose. The substrate glucose is a precursor for formation of fats in the body.