Let’s talk straight about carbs

Most people know that refined sugar should be consumed in moderation, because it only provides calories that are quickly assimilated, free of any other nutrient.

There are even those who consider that it is a addictive substance, that replaces healthier ones in the diet and that favors the ups and downs of energy and mood, so common today.

The truth is that the fame of sugar has contaminated the image of carbohydrates which, due to their relationship with it, today tend to be seen as a mere source of calories.

However, with the old term “carbohydrates” is included a huge variety of compounds that intervene in the functioning of the organism in ways that are only now beginning to be understood.

There are good sugars and bad sugars.

Therefore, when choosing food it is important know how to distinguish between the different types of sugars and carbohydrates, since some are associated with the risk of suffering from certain diseases, while others, on the other hand, prevent them.

In our country, the consumption of refined sugar –saccharose– It is estimated between 600 grams and one kilo per week per person. Studies indicate that this high number is related to the incidence of obesity, diabetes, digestive disorders, infections, cardiovascular diseases and even colon cancer.

Some experts – such as Professor Robert Lustig, one of the world’s leading authorities on obesity – are beginning to consider some types of sugar as Addictive substances given its effects on the brain (they cause feelings of pleasure and withdrawal similar to those of certain drugs).

Essential for immunity

Instead, other types of sugars are essential for the functioning of the body. Glycobiology is the new science that studies the role of carbohydrates or, more precisely, of the molecules called glycans, in it proper functioning of the immune system and many other physiological processes.

For this science, sugars they are much more than calories. Combining with each other and with amino acids (glycoproteins) and fatty acids (glycolipids) they are essential, for example, for immune cells to identify and eliminate infectious agents or pre-cancerous cells.

In fact, they are part of a very complex –and practically unknown– system of communication between cells and its study is as important as that of genes can be.

Research on glycans is expected to uncover new treatments that help the immune system eliminate cancer cells and viruses such as HIV or that help cure autoimmune diseases. Some are already helping to understand the effects of food and medicinal plants.

For example, a combination of sugars found in birch has been found to be effective against ear infections. Another line of research works with the nerve tissue regeneration damaged in cases that until now had been considered impossible to treat.

Sweet since before birth

Human life has been surrounded by sugars since its inception. When the sperm reaches the egg, the egg checks the sugar combinations and allows the passage of the one who has the correct “key”.

In the womb the fetus swims in the amniotic fluid, that not only offers you protection, but also feeds you. In this nutrient solution there is glucose, along with protein, sodium, potassium and other elements.

When the baby is born, the food it receives from its mother is rich in glucose and other basic sugars, such as fucose, n-acetylglucosamine, and n-acetylneuraminic acid. babies slurp breast milk, slightly sweet, That can only bring you benefits.

The problems appear when adults have to decide the ingredients in your diet. It seems that preference for sweet is partly determined by genes.

Is about a safe taste for the human species because, unlike bitter, it is not usually related in nature to toxic agents. It is also associated with obtaining energy. That is why it is not strange that, when producing food, the human being has surrounded himself with sweets.

But there is still another reason why the food industry uses so many sugars and that is that They favor the preservation of food. Between one thing and another, the result is that we now consume some forms of sugar in excess.

The different types of sugars

If you want to reduce your intake and look for sugars in ingredient lists, you will come across a long series of confusing terms or unknown: fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, maltodextrin, invert sugar, xylitol, dextrin, maltol, isomaltol, oligofructose, corn syrup, lactate, sorbitol, galactose, levulose…

They are all sugars, but their action can be very different:

fructose, it is part of many fruits; however, consuming it in excess in its isolated version overloads the liver, apart from converting into fat more easily than other sugars.to corn syrup, Widely used by the food industry, it is considered one of the main causes of the high obesity figures in the United States.maltodextrin are chains of glucose that induce a rapid rise in blood sugar.invert sugar It is a combination of glucose and fructose, sweeter than common sugar, which is used in ice creams because it makes it difficult for ice crystals to form. xylitol it has the advantage of not causing cavities and is indicated for diabetics because its metabolization does not require insulin, although it is somewhat laxative.

In order not to get lost in the maze of carbohydrates, it is convenient to know that are made up of saccharides also called monosaccharides or simple sugars, composed of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon.

The most common, known and abundant in food are glucose, galactose and fructose. For the organism, the most important is glucose, since it constitutes the main fuel of its cells, including those of the brain. In fact, the body can synthesize it from other nutrients.

Other monosaccharides are fucose, mannose and xylose, which can be found only in some fungi and plants.

disaccharides They are formed by the union of two monosaccharides. The most common are:

sucrose or common sugar –formed by the union of glucose and fructose–lactose –glucose and galactose–, which is milk sugar,the malty –two glucose molecules–

The beneficial oligosaccharides

Saccharides and disaccharides are sugars and share characteristics, such as being crystalline, sweet and white. When they are presented in larger molecules –oligosaccharides and polysaccharides–, they give rise to starches and fibers, which have different properties. From the outset, they lose the intensity of the sweet flavor.

Oligosaccharides are made up of three and ten monosaccharides and when they are made by the body itself, they can play an important role in the communication system between cells. Two interesting classes are:

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) They consist of a chain of fructose molecules. It abounds in foods such as artichokes, onions, asparagus, endive, leeks or bananas and they serve to feed the flora and improve the state of the gastrointestinal tract.Galactooligosaccharides (GOS), which are chains of galacts and are abundant in soybeans. Both FOS and GOS are not fully digested, but the part that is not assimilated serves as food for the intestinal flora, favoring the growth of populations of beneficial bacteria and reducing harmful ones.

A proof of the importance of oligosaccharides is that breast milk contains about 130 different. These combinations of 3 to 6 simple sugars probably have a lot to do with the beneficial effects on the development of the baby, especially its immune system and its digestive flora.

fiber and starches

Intestinal bacteria also feed on inulin, a type of fiber composed of chains of fructose, straddling oligosaccharides and polysaccharides.

It is not digested, although it does release some fructose as it passes through the small intestine. There it is broken down by the lactobacilli and bifidobacteria of the microbiota, which favors its growth and gives rise to short chain fatty acids, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane.

For this reason, foods rich in inulin, such as garlic, onion, leek or asparagus, are highly recommended, although they can cause flatulence and intestinal discomfort in people who are not used to them. It is therefore advisable to consume them in small quantities at first, until the body gets used to digesting them.

Other types of soluble fibers with beneficial effects are mucilages and pectins.

The mucilages They are highly branched polysaccharides of simple sugars, viscous in nature, which soothe and reduce inflammation in the digestive system. They are found in certain algae, in flax seeds (you have to leave them soaked overnight), okra or okra, green beans, carob, borage, purslane… pectins They are found in the skin of fruits such as apples or in the pulp of citrus fruits, strawberries, quince and carrots. They easily retain water, forming viscous gels that are fermented by intestinal microorganisms. Some studies indicate that pectins bind to a characteristic protein of tumor cells, favoring their elimination.

In the polysaccharides up to millions of molecules of one or more monosaccharides are chained together. That is why they can fulfill multiple functions in plants: energy reserve, structure, support… Among the energetic polysaccharides are the starches from rice or potato, which our digestive enzymes can break down into their simplest elements to provide energy to cells.

resistant starch. A portion of the carbohydrates in tubers such as potatoes resist the action of digestive enzymes in the small intestine and are finally assimilated in the large intestine. It has many of the properties of fiber and is considered beneficial for sugar and cholesterol control. It is also found in legumes and plantains.

However, other polysaccharides, such as cellulose and hemicellulose they cannot be digested. It’s about the insoluble fiber, which is also a carbohydrate, that is, a combination of sugars, although it is not counted as such in food composition tables because it is not considered a nutrient.

This insoluble fiber acts as a cleaning brush on the residues of digestion that adhere to the intestinal walls. It also increases the volume of stool and softens it, which favors its transit and elimination. This explains why when taken daily in sufficient quantities, it avoids constipation and prevents diseases, including digestive cancers.

The importance of absorption speed

The human digestive system is prepared to obtain most of the polysaccharide energy, and alone…