CARBOHYDRATES

AND
EXERCISE
(Basics of exercise physiology and nutrition)

SUBMITTED BY:
ASHNEET KAUR
B.ARCH SEM IX
2015ARAO46
What are Carbohydrates ?
Carbohydrates are organic compound consist of carbon,
hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. ratio of hydrogen to oxygen is
2:1
Carbohydrates range from simple monosaccharides (glucose,
fructose, galactose) to complex polysaccharides (starch).

Classification of Carbohydrates
A- Monosaccharides

Monosaccharides or simple sugar which contain one sugar unit

such as Trioses (3carbon), tetro, ses (4 carbon molecules),
pentoses (5 carbon), hexoses (6carbon), heptoses (7 carbon) .
The most important monosacchrides are; glucose, fructose and
galactose (hexoses sugar ) the main dietary sources of
metabolic energy or body fuels.

B- Disaccharides

Disaccharides are formed by the condensation of two

monosaccharides with the elimination of one molecule of
water.
The disaccharides of nutritional importance are:
1-Sucrose; cane sugar, beat sugar, sucrose are manufactured
on large scale from cane sugar. sucrose is present in certain
fruits and vegetables. Sucrose consists of: glucose + fructose
2-Maltose; present in malt, cereal grains. it is formed when
starch that present in the food is digested by the salivary and
pancreatic enzyme Amylase. maltose consists of 2 glucose
molecules; maltose—glucose + glucose

3-Lactose or called milk sugar is a disaccharide and occurs in

mammals milk, synthesis in mammary gland by the glucose
that supplied through the food. In small intestine. Lactose is
hydrolysed to glucose and galactose by the action of lactase
enzyme present in intestinal juice.
Lactose: glucose + Galactose

C-Polysaccharides
Polysaccharides consist of many monosaccharides.
Polysaccharides of nutritional important are;

1-Starch; occurs mainly in plant kingdom.

• Important sources are cereals, millets, roots, tubers
formed in nature in large amounts.
• Starch is hydrolyzed by amylase enzyme present in
saliva and in pancreatic juice to form maltose
(disaccharide).
 • during hydrolysis starch formed intermediate
product called dextrin. complete digestion of starch
formed glucose;

STARCH DEXTRIN MALTOSE GLUCOSE

2-Glycogen; polysaccharides, it is the storage form of

carbohydrates in the human body. the site of storage is in the
liver and muscles.
It is the reserve of carbohydrates in body. the liver contain
enzyme which convert glycogen to glucose through the process
known as glycogenlysis.

3- Dietary fiber is a carbohydrates (or a polysaccharide) that is

incompletely absorbed in humans and in some animals.
Dietary fiber consists mainly of cellulose, a large carbohydrate
polymer that is indigestible because humans do not have the
required enzymes to disassemble it.
DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION OF
CARBOHYDRATES
Digestion is the process of breakdown large particles into
smaller one. the digestion of carbohydrates start in the mouth
and is continue in the stomach and intestine. Carbohydrates
absorbed through the intestinal mucosa as monosaccharides
(glucose).
Glucose enters the metabolic pathways to release energy, which
then is used for the formation of the chemical compound ATP.
 MAJOR FUNCTION OF CARBOHYDRATE IN
HUMAN BODY
• CHO is the main fuel for certain tissues during rest such as
brain, central nervous system (CNS) and red blood cell
(RBC)
• Supply energy; glucose oxidized producing water, energy,
carbon dioxide and energy (ATP)
• monosaccharide can form other carbohydrate molecules such
as trioses and pentoses, these substances combined with
other substances to form essential compounds (glycolipids
and glycoprotein)
• Glycoprotein are very important components of cell
membrane
• Ribose sugar (pentose) are important in formation of RNA
(ribonucleic acid of the cell)
• excess of carbohydrates stored in the form of glycogen in
liver (glycogenesis).
CARBOHYDRATE NEEDS
The carbohydrate contribution is mainly from;-
• glycogen stores in skeletal muscle and that stored in the
liver,
• the diet for athletes and active people is that it should
include more carbohydrate-containing foods that
recommended by the health professionals.
• Their diets should be about 60% of their daily energy
intake obtained from carbohydrates, 30 % or less from fat
and 10 to 15 % from proteins
• Adequate carbohydrate intake also helps prevent protein
from being used as energy
• It also fueling the central nervous system (CNS) and brain
• During heavy training kcal must be increased specially
from carbohydrates (CHO), to meet the energy demands.
Failure to do so may result in:
• Chronic muscular fatigue.
• - Weight and muscle mass loss
CARBOHYDRATES ARE UTILIZED BY THE
BODY IN DIFFERENT WAYS
• for the immediate energy needs through oxidation to carbon
dioxide and water via the processes of glycolysis and tri-
carboxylic acid cycle or Kerb cycle
• stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles tissue through
the process glycogenesis.
• converted to fatty acids and stored as triglyceride.
• convert to other necessary CHO such as ribose, fructose
and deoxyribose which is necessary for the formation of
genetic material DNA.
• some become the carbon skeletons for production of
essential amino acids
 CARBOHYDRATES AND EXERCISES
Carbohydrates come in two sources during exercises
• Simple sugar glucose
• Storage form of glucose –glycogen; Glycogen is stored in
Muscles and Liver

DURING ATHLETIC ENDEAVORS (or activities)

• blood glucose, liver glycogen and muscle glycogen is the
main source of energy
• Carbohydrate are the main nutrient fueling exercise of a
moderate to high intensity, while fat providing energy
during exercise that occurs at a lower intensity (supply about
40- 80%of the total calories in human diet).
DURING MODERATE EXERCISE
• muscle glycogen and liver glycogen contribute equally to
CHO oxidation
• As exercise intensity increases, carbohydrate metabolism
efficiency drops off and anaerobic metabolism takes over.
• This is because the body can not take in and distribute
oxygen quickly enough to use either fat or carbohydrate
metabolism easily.
• The liver is the only tissue that can release stored glycogen
in the form of glucose
• Muscle glycogen store is the first source of glucose for the
exercising muscle
• when no glycogen;- the process of glycogenolysis started and
follow by gluconeogenesis in the liver to make glucose
available (main function of the liver is to release glucose
through glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis)
• if no enough glucose after 3 hours of heavy exercise
athletes enter to a condition known as hoypglycemia
(low glucose level in the blood)
CARBOHYDRATES LOADING

• CHO Loading, or glycogen loading and glycogen super-

compensation;- is dietary technique designed to promote a
significant increase in glycogen content in both the liver
and muscles to delay fatigue among athletes.
• It is generally used 3-7 days in preparation for athletic
competition
• It is used by endurance athletes with continuous energy
expenditure for prolonged periods (long distance runners,
swimmers) to optimize physical performance during
prolonged endurance events.
PENTOSE PHOSPHATE PATHWAY,
(HEXOSE-MONO-PHOSPHATE SHUNT)

• The Pentose Phosphate Pathway, generate important

intermediates not produced in other pathways. it acts in
the conversion of hexoses sugar into pentose sugar
(ribose) and in regeneration of NADPH .
• when glucose increase in the blood it converted to glycogen
through the process of glycogenesis, or when it needed as
energy it enter into glycolytic pathway for energy formation
but;
• some of glucose may enter alternative route in the cytoplasm,
this route is known as Pentose phosphate pathway.
• in the presence of oxygen, hexoses sugar (glucose ) converted
to pentose mainly Ribose and deoxy-ribose that enter in the
formation of DNA and RNA, the neuclic acid of the cells
(Genetic material of the cell).
• when excess pentose present can also converted to hexoses
(glucose) and thus enter the glycolytic pathway for energy
production.
• In this process no carbon dioxide released, the hydrogen
molecules combined with NAD to become NADPO and enter
in the lipid synthesis
• When carbohydrate intake is low, oxidation of fatty acids
accelerate to provide energy through the production of acetyl
CoA (TCA substrate)