#carbohydrate

miss carbohydrate for the first time out of the barn:

experiences love

experiences lap

experiences computer

new father

NOTEBOOKS

Carbohydrates also called saccharides or carbs are the most abundant polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones or organic compounds in nature that provide energy for our bodies.

Enzymes can only start at the end of the molecule. This is why it is easier to break 1,6 bonds in amylopectin than 1,4 bonds in a looooong amylose molecule. Thus, amylopectin has a higher glycemic index (can raise blood sugar faster) than amylose.

Amylopectin is branched (1,6 bond is broken down by salivary amylase much more easily).

Amylose is just the long glucose chain.

Super Pea Soup

The seeds on the left are regular dried peas, while the wrinkled versions on the right have a hidden superpower. Inside their wrinkly exterior they’re packed with ‘resistant starch’, a type of carbohydrate that’s harder for our digestive systems to break down into sugar than the starch found in normal peas. As a result, the wrinkly peas cause a slower rise in blood sugar levels after eating them compared with smooth peas, which can trigger unhealthy ‘sugar spikes’. Repeated unhealthy blood sugar responses over time is thought to increase the risk of diet-linked conditions such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. Although the wrinkly peas are a naturally-occurring variation, they’ve been overlooked for use in foods in favour of their smooth-skinned cousins. Eating these super-peas or using flour made from them in food products could be an easy-peasy way to improve health by helping to control blood sugar levels.

Written by Kat Arney

Images by the John Innes Centre

Research from Section for Nutrition Research, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK

Image copyright held by the John Innes Centre

Research published in Nature Food, October 2020