Resumo

MOLLINEDO PATZI, Marcela Andrea  e  BENAVIDES CALDERON, Gabriela L. Carbohidratos. Rev. Act. Clin. Med [online]. 2014, vol.41, pp. 2133-2136. ISSN 2304-3768.

Carbs or carbohydrates are molecules that have the primary function to provide energy to the human body, through the formation of glucose. The carbohydrate simpler sugars are called monosaccharides and have a single molecule, the sugars which have more molecules (from two to ten) are called oligosaccharides, and those containing more than ten monosaccharide molecules are polysaccharides. These molecules are found in a wide range of foodstuffs, mainly sugar. Carbohydrates consumed more frequently are polysaccharides (found in tubers, pulses and cereals), and to a lesser extent monosaccharides and disaccharides (found in fruits, milk and sugar). Digestion of carbohydrates (namely starch) begins in the oral cavity and passes through a series of processes involving hydrolytic enzymes, which catalyze chemical reactions, resulting in monosaccharides which are absorbed in the duodenum and jejunum by an active transport mechanism.

Palavras-chave : Carbohydrates; Sugars; Glucose.