tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28866682805378420482024-03-05T10:15:56.227-08:00Sassy ScienceHealth, Nutrition, Wellbeing and a Pinch of Scientific Sass.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00664889959593150562noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886668280537842048.post-41789521289926659812016-12-16T14:29:00.000-08:002016-12-16T09:55:23.082-08:00Putting The Kibosh On 'Carbophobia': Part One <div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Let’s face the facts, there’s nothing better than
carbohydrates. Think freshly baked bread, fruit salads, brownies... they make
you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, the ultimate comfort food. So why a
sudden rise in the number of "carbophobes" in the world? Personally I believe the
media, *cough* closer magazine *cough*, celebrity endorsement and miseducation have
a lot to answer for. The influential Kim Kardashian West recently posted a tweet stating 'No carbs. Crazy workouts. Whos with me?'. It's a no from me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjY4hZ5nha7qP5EEGSXZ5GvyVf4QTboQJfcjGb6WkeWWyAqdQfPpLei0k-ean_XcUTtvTACNEwUxHO51cYpuzPp1OpDhSUh1CNhVszY-ZqS3Cb3wwhMmny2IkpX-mVQdPwPiXPuC6mAww/s1600/valentines-day-pink-cake-donuts.jpg" width="320" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.thelittleepicurean.com/2014/02/pink-valentine-cake-doughnuts.html" target="_blank">'You know you want me...'</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fad diets are another pet hate of mine. I’m sure many of you have heard of the
Atkins Diet. A diet revolving around low carbs for ‘fast results’. At first you
feel great because you’re losing weight (may I just add this is mostly water
and lean muscle), brilliant. But then the lack of glucose to your brain turns
you into a complete non-functional zombie. Eventually you give up, most likely
putting the weight back on and as soon as you know it you’re hunting down the
next quick fix (perhaps the cabbage soup diet?). The phrase ‘yo-yo’ dieting
comes to mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Please, don’t be part of the yo-yo brigade. Let me tell you the truth about our
little misunderstood friend, the carbohydrate, through the wonderful world of
science. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In part one we will cover what carbohydrates are, the structure of these little guys and what foods you can find them in. In part two we will cover utilisation and why carbohydrates are essential in your diet! Lets get started! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #ff0080;">Biochemistry of Carbohydrates</span></span></b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">First thing you need to know is that we group
carbohydrates. We've got the simple carbs and the complex carbs
and their biochemical structures vary. They are composed from three elements:
Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O). You could call them ‘the ingredients of
life’ or imagine them as LEGO blocks. The basis of every living thing comes
from these tiny little guys – pretty crazy when you think about it. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />There are three major size classes of carbohydrates: </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides - "saccharide" derived from the Greek word </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">sakcharon</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> meaning "sugar".</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Simple Carbohydrates -
'Instant energy'</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Simple carbohydrates consist of single</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> sugar units. <b>Monosaccharides</b> are the smallest of the carbohydrates containing
3-7 carbon atoms which can be bound to hydroxyl groups (OH =
1 oxygen + 1 hydrogen). These atoms vary in the way they are
arranged into a molecular structure, this is known as stereochemical
configuration. They are vital fuel molecules and fundamental for all living
organisms. Carbohydrates are </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">so</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> versatile - DNA is built on
simple carbohydrates (deoxyribose)!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> <br />The smallest monosaccharides are composed of only three carbon
atoms, on</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">e</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> example is dihydroxyacetone. They are referred to as </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">trioses,</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> simply
because they have three carbon atoms. Simple monosaccharides with four, five,
six and seven carbon atoms are called </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">tetroses, pentoses, hexoses</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">heptoses</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">,
respectively. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Glucose </b>and <b>fructose</b> are
perfect examples of hexoses you will be familiar with. Glucose is an essential
energy source for us and fructose is a common sweetener that is
converted to glucose within our cells. Another common monosaccharide is <b>galactose </b>found in foods made with dairy-derived ingredients.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Complex Carbohydrates -
'Slow releasing'</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">In contrast, complex carbohydrates consist of two or more sugar groups
(i.e two glucose molecules joined to form maltose - a dissacharide) or if we
are getting fancy 'monomers'. You could think of these as pearls strung
together on a necklace, where each pearl is a monosaccharide. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Lets start with </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">disaccharides</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Disaccharides are exactly what they say on the tin. <i>Di </i>(two) <i>saccharide </i>(sugar)
= two sugars linked together. Remember I told you that carbohydrates were found all over the place? Well,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">lactose</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> is
a dissacharide found in milk. It is formed by the linkage of galactose and
glucose, two monosaccharides. Let's use Sucrose, another disaccharide, as an
example of how these carbohydrates join together...<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Below are the chemical structures of <b>glucose</b> (left), <b>fructose</b> (middle)
and<b> sucrose</b> (right). I know you're probably freaking out
because these look confusing but remember the lego building blocks I was
talking about? Here they are. The molecular formula for glucose and fructose
molecules is C<span style="font-size: xx-small;">6</span>H<span style="font-size: xx-small;">12</span>O<span style="font-size: xx-small;">6</span>. Meaning there are six carbons, twelve hydrogens and six
oxygens. But as you can see it's their stereochemical configurations
that differ. The molecular formula for sucrose is C<span style="font-size: xx-small;">12</span>H<span style="font-size: xx-small;">22</span>O<span style="font-size: xx-small;">11</span> - This makes
sense as we have two monosaccharides, so their C, H and O's are added together.
You may notice that if you add these together you get 24 H's and 12 O's, let me
tell you where these have disappeared to...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4FJLFSkDGcDsJQ-unmh_gamq9-sq1pF50GSSjwgtE0YibtMyp1CfEJO1Itx5no7vpslgOs1WEXFWyYH8VUJSQhtw7YuaTGVfkr6awSDuCb8qbVQeMdB2qpJBojnQ_vgOBh7BFoGfoMA/s1600/sucrose.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4FJLFSkDGcDsJQ-unmh_gamq9-sq1pF50GSSjwgtE0YibtMyp1CfEJO1Itx5no7vpslgOs1WEXFWyYH8VUJSQhtw7YuaTGVfkr6awSDuCb8qbVQeMdB2qpJBojnQ_vgOBh7BFoGfoMA/s1600/sucrose.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The chemical reaction above is known as <b>dehydration</b>,
which is a pretty easy concept to get your head around. A hydrogen
(H) from one carbohydrate and a hydroxyl (OH) from another are taken out, in this example the hydrogen is from the
glucose molecule and the hydroxyl the fructose </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(seen in black)</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. As a result there are now two
hydrogens and one oxygen, forming water (H<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span>O). The glucose and fructose </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">monomers are then linked together through
glycosidic bonds - a type of covalent bond that joins a carbohydrate to another
molecule, which may or may not be a carbohydrate (in this post
we're focusing on </span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">just</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> carbs). The process of dehydration applies
to all carbohydrates. Another key process is </span><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">hydrolysis. </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Essentially it is the reverse of dehydration.
Water is added to a molecule to break it down. When dehydration synthesis
continues <b>oligosaccharides</b> and <b>polysaccharides</b> are
formed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oligosaccharides contain 3-9 monosaccharides and once they form
long polymeric oligosaccharides (10+ monomeric units), via dehydration, they
are deemed polysaccharides. These are vital for energy storage. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Polysaccharides can be
further categorised dependent on whether all the monosaccharide units are the
same (homopolysaccharide) or two or more different
units (heteropolysaccharide). The most common homopolymer is <b>glycogen</b>,
made up of only glucose. Glycogen is stored within muscles and the liver for when
it is needed – think how important this will be during exercise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>Examples of polysaccharides</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Glycogen has already been
mentioned but most of the carbohydrates that we ingest are <b>starches</b>.
They can be found in foods such as grains, some fruits, vegetables, legumes,
nuts and seeds. During digestion these are hydrolysed (broken down) by an
enzyme known as <i>α-amylase s</i>ecreted by salivary glands in the mouth
and pancreas. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fiber, which gives you that full feeling, has been shown to lower
cholesterol and lower risk of high blood pressure. <b>Cellulose</b>, the most abundant organic polymer on earth, is an insoluble fiber (does not dissolve in water) and can be found in flour, bran, nuts and veggies. <b>Gums</b>, found in oats, legumes and barley, and <b>pectin</b>, found in apples, citrus fruits and carrots, are both examples of soluble fiber (dissolves in water). For more on fiber relating to health <a href="http://www.webmd.com/diet/insoluble-soluble-fiber" target="_blank">click me!</a> :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you want to see the structures for different examples of both
simple and complex carbohydrates illustrated in an easy to follow video </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxK5rZxbyQY#action=share">click here.</a></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #ff0080; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">What foods am I in?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A few examples have already been mentioned but I have created a
'carbohydrate cheat sheet' which has more. It is not a
definitive list of all the carbohydrates in the world, but a little
something to help you on your way to making more educated decisions on
what you're eating. Hopefully now you understand the basis of carbohydrates. We have skimmed over what happens to these little guys in your body - more on utilisation in part two.<br />
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I think its great to understand how different foods affect our
bodies. Simple sugars are broken down quickly so can be used for what I like to call 'instant energy', i.e post workout to refuel energy depleted muscles (don't forget your other macros :P). Complex carbohydrates provide 'steady energy' as the body takes longer to utilise them meaning they are ideal for breakfast. Although the body cannot differentiate between a can of coke and a piece of fruit it is essential to note the nutrient difference between them. This is where I make the point that low-carb diets are probably not the best idea. Yes, you may be cutting out more 'junk food' but you are also missing out on essential nutrients to keep your body working efficiently. I personally feel the best idea would be to moderate fizzy drinks, cakes, crisps, white bread (you get the picture) and to focus on consuming more fruits, veggies and whole grains, all of which keep our bodies healthy!</span><br />
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In my next post I am going to tell you how energy is produced from carbohydrates and what happens when you don't get enough of them (I like to call this zombie brain). Any questions please do not hesitate to comment below :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">References:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Biochemistry, seventh edition. Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko,
Lubert Stryer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Encyclopedia of Foods, A Guide to Healthy Nutrition. Inc. Experts
From Dole Food Company</span><span style="background: white; color: #111111; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: #111111; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #111111; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>*Disclaimer: I am a third year Biomedical Science student. The information within the article is to the best of my knowledge with the above references used.</i></span></div>
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