Search

 

 

Informative Articles

Best exercises to Lower blood pressure
If you once go to doctor and he discovered that you have high blood pressure, or as they name it in science "Hypertension" and this conditions keep with you for long time, so you must immediatly lower your blood pressure becouse it may lead to...

Carbohydrates: What You must know
This scares me to death, every day you walk down the street it is becoming more and more apparent that the average person is becoming larger and this trend has escalated over recent years. Why are they getting fatter? Here are some reasons... ·...

Chronic prostatitis getting worse
Question : I HAVE been suffering from non-bacterial prostatitis for more than 10 years. The early symptom was a urinary tract infection. Lately, chronic prostatitis has developed. I get a painful, burning sensation after urination. The pain now is...

How Fat Is Burned: Turning Fat Into Energy, Carbon-Dioxide And Water!
The primary reason we need to eat food is to provide fuel for the body. This fuel comes from the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. To explain it simply, food is broken down to produce energy, and it takes many chemical processes for...

Review of Ladies Workout Express
Overview: Offers 24 pieces of exercise/workout equipment. Half of the equipment is cardio and the other half if strength training. Each member goes through all the pieces of equipment at least one time per workout session. The workout sessions vary...

Safe Weight Loss Part 1.
Safe weight loss is about maintaining health whilst losing weight, it is not about losing weight rapidly; this has never worked and never will. This article is to be published in two parts over two days and will be stored in our news blogs...

 
Atkins & Low-Carb - Part 4

Since so many people in the United States are currently in the middle of a "carb-frenzy", this series of articles has focused on the pros and cons of the low-carb diet. Topics of discussion have been 1) Can you stick with a low-carb diet for the long term, 2) Conflicting messages about carbs and 3) bodybuilders and low-carb dieting.

This article will define and describe carbohydrates and what role they play in the human body.

Carbohydrate - Chemical compound of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, usually with the hydrogen and oxygen in the right proportions to form water. Common forms are starches, sugars, cellulose, and gums. Carbohydrates are more readily used for energy production than are fats and proteins. One of the three basic foodstuffs (proteins and fats are the others), carbohydrates are a group of chemical substances including sugars, glycogen, starches, dextrins, and cellulose. They comprise the body's main source of raw material for energy. Carbohydrates can be classified as either a simple carbohydrate or a complex carbohydrate.

Digested carbohydrate enters the circulatory system in the form of monosaccharides, primarily glucose. Lesser amounts of fructose and galactose are also absorbed, but these are eventually converted into glucose in the liver. Before they can be absorbed into the bloodstream, polysaccharides and disaccharides must be broken down into monosaccharides by specific enzymes during the digestive process.

When you comsume carbohydrates, your digestive system converts them to blood sugar (glucose). This glucose is stored in your muscle cells and in your liver. Your brain operates with the help of glucose in your blood as energy. When training is intense, glycogen stored within your muscles provides most of the energy for contractions. When training with low intensity, your blood-borne sugar acts as an energy source. A problem occurs when there is leftover glucose in your blood following a refill of


carbohydrate stores. The remaining carbohydrates are stored as fat.

There are several types of carbohydrates, some better than others. Starch, sugar and dextrose are all types of carbohydrates. The three main types of carbohydrates are:

* Monosaccharides (one-sugar molecule)

* Disaccharides (two-sugar molecule)

* Polysaccharides (three or more sugar molecules)

Monosaccharides and disaccharides are commonly called sugars, while polysaccharides are called complex carbohydrates or glucose polymers. Some of the more commonly encountered carbohydrates in these three categories include the following:

* Monosaccharides: glucose, fructose, sorbitol, galactose, mannitol, mannose

* Disaccharides: sucrose = glucose + fructose; maltose = glucose + glucose; lactose = glucose + galactose

* Polysaccharides: Starch, dextrin, cellulose and glycogen, all of which are made of chains of glucose. Found in whole grains, vegetables, nuts, some fruits and legumes. Fibers are mainly the indigestible complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) that make up plant cell walls.

The Glycemic Index is a handy rating system that tells you what carbohydrates provide the best energy for prolonged training periods. By consuming a food with a low glycemic rating, you will experience a more stabilized blood sugar level.

Remember, carbohydrates are your body's preferred energy fuel source, although fats work well too., particularly during aerobic training. Remember that protein and carbohydrates both have 4 calories per gram, while fat has 9 calories per gram.

SOURCE: (International Sports Sciences Association; Frederick C. Hatfield, Ph.D.; 2001)

About the author:

* Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit http://www.letspickupthepace.com/ for more information.