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.

Carbohydrate Structure

Carbohydrate Monosaccharides

Carbohydrate Metabolism

Foods High in Carbohydrates

Latest Carbohydrate News and Research

New type of flour improved the glycemic response of people eating white bread

Researchers from the Quadram Institute and King's College London have shown that replacing wheat flour with a new ingredient derived from chickpeas improved the glycemic response of people eating white bread.

11 Jan 2021

New peptide can target specific pathogen without damaging the good bacteria

Drug-resistant bacteria could lead to more deaths than cancer by 2050, according to a report commissioned by the United Kingdom in 2014 and jointly supported by the U.K. government and the Wellcome Trust.

7 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infection increases risk of severe COVID-19 in pregnant women, newborns

Recent analyses indicate that pregnant women and newborns may face elevated risks of developing more severe cases of COVID-19 following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

24 Dec 2020

UVA researcher evaluates a new approach to managing type 2 diabetes

A researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine is testing what he calls a "radically different" approach to managing type 2 diabetes for those who can't or don't want to lose weight.

18 Dec 2020

Why are some groups more vulnerable to COVID-19?

News-Medical speaks to Dr. Jaswinder Singh about his research surrounding why some groups are more susceptible to severe cases of COVID-19.

17 Dec 2020

Mother's diet while breastfeeding can shape the profile of human milk oligosaccharides

Research has shown that human milk is the optimal nutrition source for neonates and infants. It confers protection against both immediately life-threatening infant diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis, as well as later onset diseases in adults, like obesity, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.

16 Dec 2020

GlycoNet scientists secure up to $4 million US investment to advance regenerative medicine

GlycoNet scientists Drs. Robert Ben and Jason Acker, who are revolutionizing the cryopreservation of cells, tissues and organs for human and veterinary therapies, have secured a $2-million USD equity investment for PanTHERA CryoSolutions (PanTHERA), a Canadian biotechnology start-up that they co-founded.

8 Dec 2020

Study shows beneficial effects of blackcurrants on post-meal glucose response

Blackcurrants have a beneficial effect on post-meal glucose response, and the required portion size is much smaller than previously thought, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows.

3 Dec 2020

Could the keto diet help prevent or mitigate severe COVID-19?

A new study published in the journal of Translational Medicine reports that the ketogenic diet (KD) may be useful in this area, with its track history of effectual reduction of fat mass, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, and consequent improvement of cardiovascular health.

30 Nov 2020

Researchers examine nutritional benefits of meal kits

During the pandemic, handy meal kit delivery services are helping to develop home cooking habits incorporating healthy ingredients such as vegetables, and a balance of less harmful fats and salt.

20 Nov 2020

Researchers identify new strategy to combat loss of skeletal muscle mass

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have shown for the first time that stimulating expression of a protein naturally produced by the human body can be a strategy to combat loss of skeletal muscle mass, which happens normally with aging but can intensify in cases of neurodegenerative or inflammatory disease, or in patients who spend long periods in intensive care units (ICUs).

9 Nov 2020

Study: Ketogenic diets can prevent or reverse heart failure caused by metabolic process

Research from Saint Louis University finds that high fat or "ketogenic" diets could completely prevent, or even reverse heart failure caused by a metabolic process.

27 Oct 2020

Research shows wrinkled 'super pea' may reduce risk of type 2 diabetes

A type of wrinkled 'super pea' may help control blood sugar levels and could reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, suggests a new study.

27 Oct 2020

Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses linked to dramatic dietary changes

Are obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses and more the result of a "mismatch" between the meals we eat and the foods our bodies are prepared for?

21 Oct 2020

Diet may help restore ovulation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

The Mediterranean diet may be investigated as a possible treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome after mice with PCOS-like features of the condition were found to benefit from a similar diet.

21 Oct 2020

Why blood type O might lower risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection

The author hypothesizes that people with non-O blood groups may have highest contact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus via the formation of in intermediate structure, resulting in possibly higher infection rates and more severe symptoms.

12 Oct 2020

Survival probabilities are higher in patients who underwent complex pancreatic surgery

For certain surgical procedures, can a correlation be shown between the volume of services provided per hospital and the quality of treatment results?

6 Oct 2020

Heparan sulfate aids COVID-19 virus to penetrate human lung cells

A molecule known as ACE2 sits like a doorknob on the outer surfaces of the cells that line the lungs. Since January 2020, researchers have known that SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, primarily uses ACE2 to enter these cells and establish respiratory infections.

16 Sep 2020

RUDN geneticist finds a bifidobacterial protein that can reduce inflammation in COVID-19

A geneticist from RUDN University studied the effect of Bifidobacterium (intestinal bacteria) on the inflammatory process and discovered that their surface protein is capable of stopping excessive or uncontrollable inflammation, like the one observed in COVID-19 patients.

14 Sep 2020

Keto diet could be beneficial for elderly COVID-19 patients

A recent study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine, New York University Langone Health and Washington University School of Medicine, claims that the ketogenic diet (high fat, low carbohydrate diet) is capable of mitigating clinical outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in elderly people by improving immune-metabolic functions and reducing inflammation. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

14 Sep 2020