The Truth About Carbs: What Happens If You Eat Too Little?

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Carbohydrates (Carbs) are one of the three main components of human nutrition. So what happens when you eat too few carbs?

1. What are carbs?


Carbs are one of the three main components of human nutrition, next to proteins and lipids. Carbs are of two types, simple carbs and complex carbs.
The structure of simple carbs has only one or two sugar molecules.
Monosaccharides are simple Carbs with one sugar molecule (including fructose in fruit, galactose in milk,...). Disaccharides are simple carbs with two sugar molecules (including sucrose in granulated sugar, lactose in dairy products, maltose in beer and some vegetables, etc.). Polysaccharides are complex carbohydrates that contain three or more sugar molecules, and are the main components of starchy foods. There are two types of polysaccharides: branched polysaccharides and unbranched polysaccharides. Complex carbs are present in many familiar foods, such as beans, peanuts, potatoes, corn, cereals, whole grains, etc. Fiber is also a type of carbs, and it belongs to this category. complex carbs..

Polysaccharide là thành phần chính của các thức ăn chứa nhiều tinh bột
Polysaccharide là thành phần chính của các thức ăn chứa nhiều tinh bột
Carbs are the main source of energy for the body to function.

2. What happens if you eat too few carbs?


Because Carbs are one of the three main nutritional components of human beings and are the main source of energy for the body, if there are too few Carbs in the diet, there will be many harmful effects to health. Constipation can occur due to lack of fiber and nutrients. At the same time, due to lack of energy, the body will have to metabolize proteins and lipids to compensate, and protein is the raw material for building cells, leading to the formation of new cells being affected.
Although eating too little Carbs is harmful to health, but consuming too many Carbs is also completely not beneficial. If the amount of carbs is too much, it will cause blood sugar levels to rise, and the excess glucose will be stored as fat, leading to diabetes and a variety of other health problems.

Lượng Carbs dư thừa làm tăng nguy cơ bị đái tháo đường
Lượng Carbs dư thừa làm tăng nguy cơ bị đái tháo đường

3. How much Carbs to consume is reasonable?


Too little or too much Carbs are harmful, so it is necessary to consume Carbs sensibly. How much depends on gender, body size, intensity of work, age, and pre-existing medical conditions, but most commonly for a healthy adult, half the total energy needed Every day should be provided by Carbs, and these carbs should come from healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and dairy products.
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Reference article source: Webmd.com

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