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What Are the Three Classes of Carbohydrates?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, you should get 45 to 65 percent of your daily calories from carbohydrates. A carbohydrate, commonly referred to as a "carb," is a compound consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and is the main source of energy for the human body. Carbohydrates also remain essential for the health of nervous system, the muscles, organs, and intestinal health for waste elimination. Broken down during the metabolic process, carbohydrates come from foods like fruit and vegetables, as well as in higher concentrations from potatoes, bread, rice and processed foods. Carbohydrates consist of three classes or categories, including monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides.

  1. Monosaccharides

    • Monosaccharides, also known as simple sugars, exist as glucose, fructose, and galactose. Used as fuel for the body, monosachharides may be found in ripe fruit and honey or derived when lactose is broken down during the metabolic process. These compounds are normally small and, therefore, digested more easily by the body, providing energy quickly.

    Disaccharides

    • The body uses disaccharides to transport sugar, examples include sucrose, lactose, and maltose. Disaccharides are formed from two monosaccharides that have joined together. This might include glucose and fructose molecules combining to form into sucrose, glucose and galactose creating lactose, or a glucose and glucose turning into maltose. Although disaccharides are found naturally in many fruits and vegetables, they are also often found in processed foods that contain added sugar. When the body is not capable of expending these sugars, the body stores the energy as fat, which may create or perpetuate problems like obesity, insulin resistance or other health issues.

    Polysaccharides

    • Polysaccharides are large molecules formed when more than two monosaccharides join together. These starches, present in plants, are also present in foods, such as potatoes, oats, wheat, and rice. They may be broken down by the body and turned into glucose for energy. Glycogen, stored by the liver and muscles may be broken down into glucose as well, when the body needs energy. One example, pectin, is found in the cells of fruit and root vegetables. Although it is not significant for nutritional purposes, it does help in maintaining the substance or consistency of some items, like jam. Cellulose, another polysaccharide is a dietary fiber, but is normally not digestible by the body because the human body lacks the enzymes necessary for its digestion.

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