Carbohydrate

A carbohydrate is an organic compound with general formula C''m''(H2O)''n'', that is, consisting only of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, the last two in the 2:1 atom ratio. Carbohydrates can be viewed as hydrates of carbon, hence their name.

What are Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are one of the most important food groups in the diet. They provide essential elements that the body needs for instant energy production and various vital functions.

Foods High in Carbohydrates

Carbohydrate Structure

Carbohydrate Monosaccharides

Carbohydrate Metabolism

Latest Carbohydrate News and Research

Fasting does not have the same effect on all body types, study suggests

While fasting has become a popular trend, particularly for people who hope to lose weight, new UBC Okanagan research suggests fasting does not have the same effect on all body types.

18 Aug 2025

Study shows promising anti-diabetic potential of coffee's functional components

Three of the compounds demonstrated significant inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase, a key enzyme in carbohydrate digestion. The findings could pave the way for new functional food ingredients targeting type 2 diabetes.

18 Aug 2025

Surprising sweetness differences in popular U.S. infant formulas

A study on infant formulas reveals significant differences in sweetness, highlighting the impact of ingredients on children's nutrition and taste preferences.

14 Aug 2025

Study: Lignin shows strong antiviral and antibacterial properties

Research from the Nanoscience Center of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, has revealed that lignin, a polyphenol, important for plant structure, has antimicrobial activity against viruses and bacteria.

12 Aug 2025

Diabetes risk hinges on how you cook potatoes

Research indicates that potato consumption and its preparation methods impact type 2 diabetes risk, with substitutions offering potential health benefits.

11 Aug 2025

Eating French fries raises type 2 diabetes risk, major study finds

A large, multi-decade cohort study found that frequent French fry consumption raises type 2 diabetes risk, while baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes do not. Swapping any type of potato for whole grains, but not white rice, lowers diabetes risk.

6 Aug 2025

Weight loss doubles when eating minimally processed foods over ultra-processed alternatives

When given nutritionally matched diets, participants lost twice as much weight eating minimally processed foods compared to ultra-processed foods, suggesting that cutting down on processing could help to sustain a healthy weight long term, finds a new clinical trial led by researchers at UCL and UCLH.

4 Aug 2025

Eating more ultra-processed food raises your risk of lung cancer

The association between ultra-processed food consumption and lung cancer risk underscores the importance of nutrition in cancer prevention strategies.

4 Aug 2025

Can your diet and health change your breast milk? Review uncovers the key maternal and birth factors

This review highlights how maternal, obstetrical, and neonatal factors influence the energy and macronutrient content of breast milk. The findings underscore significant variability in milk composition, with implications for tailored nutritional support in early life.

3 Aug 2025

AI spots hidden diabetes risk even when test results look normal

Researchers used continuous glucose monitoring and multimodal data from over 3,000 people to reveal hidden patterns in glucose spikes across normoglycemia, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes. Their AI-driven model exposed high individual variability and offers a personalized path for early detection and prevention of diabetes.

3 Aug 2025

New research reveals why fiber-rich diets fuel you better than refined foods

This study quantifies how much energy the human body harvests from gut microbial fermentation of dietary fiber, integrating bacterial physiology, diet, and metagenomic data. Results reveal that dietary fiber, not microbiome composition, mainly determines the amount of short-chain fatty acids absorbed, impacting daily energy and metabolic health.

31 Jul 2025

Behavioral adaptation precedes morphological change in human evolution

As early humans spread from lush African forests into grasslands, their need for ready sources of energy led them to develop a taste for grassy plants, especially grains and the starchy plant tissue hidden underground.

31 Jul 2025

Saliva testing offers a non-invasive way to detect early metabolic risk

Measuring elevated levels of insulin in blood, called hyperinsulinemia, is a proven way to measure metabolic health and can show risk of developing future health concerns, including Type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

31 Jul 2025

Eating meals earlier could help people at high obesity risk

Research indicates that early eating habits may lower genetic obesity risk, enhancing weight loss maintenance in at-risk adults after dietary treatments.

30 Jul 2025

Deep-sea bacterial compound triggers pyroptosis to fight cancer

Promoting pyroptosis-an inflammatory form of programmed cell death-has become a promising treatment strategy for cancer.

23 Jul 2025

Fad diets and supplements fuel new wave of hidden skin problems, study finds

A new review explains how fad diets and unregulated supplements promoted online can cause serious skin, hair, and nail problems, often before other symptoms appear. Clinicians are urged to recognize these risks and address health misinformation in the digital age.

22 Jul 2025

Restricted diet triggers drop in microbial diversity without convergence

According to a recent exploratory study published in eGastroenterology, the answer is more complex than expected. Researchers from KU Leuven and collaborating institutions conducted a tightly controlled dietary intervention, known as the "Oatmeal Study", to examine whether restricting food variety could induce convergence in the gut microbiota across individuals.

22 Jul 2025