Physiological functions of carbohydrates

There are more and more carbohydrate foods now, and there are many types for people to choose from. Carbohydrates themselves have many physiological functions, and the nutrients contained in each type of sugar are completely different. However, most of them can bring certain energy and calories to people's bodies and will not make people feel exhausted. It is especially good for patients with hypoglycemia.

Monosaccharides are the smallest molecules in this class because they cannot be hydrolyzed into smaller carbohydrates. They are aldehydes or ketones with two or more hydroxyl groups. The chemical formula of unmodified monosaccharides can be expressed as: (C·H2O))n, and because they are multiples of carbon and water molecules, they are called "carbohydrates". Monosaccharides are important fuel molecules and also the building blocks of nucleic acids. The smallest monosaccharide has n=3, namely: dihydroxyacetone or D- and L-glyceraldehyde.

Triose such as glyceraldehyde

Pentose, five-carbon sugars such as ribose, deoxyribose

Hexoses such as glucose and fructose (both have the chemical formula C6H12O6)

Monosaccharide classification

Monosaccharides can be classified by three different characteristic features: the position of the carbonyl group; the number of carbon atoms in the molecule and its chiral configuration. If the carbonyl group is at the end of the carbon chain and the molecule is an aldehyde, the monosaccharide is called an aldose; if the carbonyl group is in the middle of the carbon chain and the molecule is a ketone, the monosaccharide is called a ketose. Monosaccharides containing three carbon atoms are called trioses; those with four carbon atoms are called tetroses; those with five carbon atoms are called pentoses; those with six carbon atoms are called hexoses, and so on.

The product of the reduction end of carbohydrates and proteins or lipids. It is widely distributed in organisms and has many important functions, including cell recognition, characterization, and immunity. The combination of carbohydrates and proteins is mainly composed of protein, called glycoproteins, such as most of the proteins in the blood; there are also those that are mainly composed of carbohydrates, such as proteoglycans, which are important components of animal connective tissue.

Those combined with lipids, such as lipopolysaccharides, exist in the outer membrane of bacteria and are mainly composed of polysaccharides. There are also those called glycolipids, which are mainly composed of lipids and are mostly connected to the cell membrane. Glycolipids can be derived from sphingosine or glycerol, but the most widely distributed in nature and the most studied to date are glycosphingolipids (see sphingolipids).