Types of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrate can be defined as a sugar, starch, or cellulose that is a food source of energy for an animal or plant; a saccharide. In this post we will learn the different types of carbohydrates and the functions of carbohydrates.


Types of carbohydrates:

1)    Simple Carbohydrates: These are made up of basic sugar. Example: vegetables, fruits, milk.

2)    Complex Carbohydrates: As name suggests it’s a combination of sugars. Example: cereals, bread

3)    Monosaccharides: These are the basic compounds with a cyclic structure consisting of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio 1:2:1. Example : Glucose

4)    Disaccharides: These carbohydrates mean 'two sugars', which refer to the commonly available types such as sucrose, maltose and lactose.

5)    Oligosaccharides: These are carbohydrates with more than two basic types of sugar molecules, usually between three and ten basic units.

6)    Polysaccharides: These are also called monomers and are composed of thousands of molecules of the basic units of glucose.

7)    Nucleotides: It is another complex carbohydrate which contains many molecules of cyclic sugar.

The Carbohydrates are essential elements needed by the human body. So, lets find functions of carbohydrates and its importance. As the body breaks sugars to be formed into glucose, a good source of glucose will facilitate in feeding the entire cells of the body. Any inadequacy and influx might lead to adverse effects, thus, it is vital that the supply of sugar in the body is distributed in moderation.