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

What really causes keto flu, and how can you prevent it?

A scoping review from the University of Bergen identifies a wide range of transient symptoms—collectively known as "keto flu"—that occur during the initiation of a ketogenic diet. The review explores their physiological basis and highlights strategies, such as MCTs and electrolyte supplementation, to ease the transition.

13 Apr 2025

AI-driven personalized nutrition shows promise in improving gut health

Researchers examine the impact of AI-based personalized nutrition programs on the gut microbiome of healthy individuals.

10 Apr 2025

Cutting carbs, not calories, may be key to better metabolic health

The intermittent fasting diet, which involves periods of severe calorie restriction, may be on the way out, as new research from the University of Surrey is suggesting that rather than drastically reducing calories, people can achieve similar metabolic benefits by cutting back on carbs.

8 Apr 2025

High cholesterol may not signal heart disease risk in metabolically healthy people

The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, in collaboration with researchers across multiple institutions, has published a new study that challenges the long-held belief that high cholesterol correlates and even directly causes coronary artery disease, or plaque buildup in the arteries in metabolically healthy individuals.

7 Apr 2025

Study reveals hidden cardiovascular risks in real-world low-carb diets

Researchers examined a real-world low-carbohydrate high-fat (LCHF) diet population to assess links between nutrient intake and cardiovascular risk.

2 Apr 2025

Ibuprofen suppresses sweet taste perception

Researchers explore how taste receptors react to sweet stimuli following exposure to ibuprofen.

31 Mar 2025

Not all Chinese food is equal: study ranks cuisines by inflammatory potential

Researchers analyzed 980 dishes from eight major Chinese cuisines to evaluate their nutritional profiles and inflammatory potential using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII).

31 Mar 2025

AI reveals how much hidden sugar is in packaged foods worldwide

Researchers developed a machine-learning algorithm to accurately predict free sugar content in packaged foods globally. The model enables large-scale assessment of carbohydrate quality based on fiber and sugar content.

30 Mar 2025

Owlstone Medical secures investment from Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Owlstone Medical ("Owlstone"), the global leader in Breath Biopsy® for applications in early disease detection and precision medicine, today announced that the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has made an up to USD $2.3 million equity investment (circa £1.7 million) in Owlstone to develop a breath test for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) detection in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

29 Mar 2025

How HIIT and intermittent fasting alter metabolism in postmenopausal women

How the combination of HIIT with intermittent fasting or a low-calorie diet improves metabolic health among postmenopausal women.

28 Mar 2025

7-day creatine ‘wash-in’ boosts muscle mass in women — but not long-term, study reveals

A 7-day creatine monohydrate wash-in increased lean body mass in females, especially in the trunk, but adding creatine to resistance training didn’t boost muscle gains beyond training alone. Higher doses or hydration tracking may be needed for long-term effects.

23 Mar 2025

Strawberries enhance brain speed and heart health, but cognitive benefits remain unclear

Strawberries may modestly enhance processing speed and lower systolic blood pressure in older adults, but they do not significantly improve overall cognitive function or vascular health.

19 Mar 2025

Keto controversy? Experts say it’s here to stay

Low-carb and ketogenic diets offer sustainable solutions for chronic disease, enhancing metabolic health and supporting weight loss through dietary changes.

18 Mar 2025

Bioenergetic age could predict Alzheimer's disease risk

A person's "bioenergetic age"-or how youthfully their cells generate energy-might be a key indicator of whether they're at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, new research from Weill Cornell Medicine shows.

14 Mar 2025

Study shows how autism-linked picky eating causes serious vitamin deficiencies

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face a high risk of multiple micronutrient deficiencies, especially vitamins A, D, B12, and calcium, due to extreme food selectivity. These deficiencies can lead to severe health issues like rickets, vision loss, and immune dysfunction, even in children with normal body weight.

13 Mar 2025

Could a keto diet replace diabetes meds? New research explores the possibilities

A review published in Nutrients finds that ketogenic diets (KD) may offer superior benefits for weight loss, blood sugar control, and inflammation compared to other diets. Researchers also highlight potential mental health improvements but call for more clinical trials.

11 Mar 2025

Platelet-rich plasma may enhance ovarian rejuvenation and improve egg quality in women

A new research paper was published in Aging (Aging-US) on February 18, 2025, Volume 17, Issue 2, titled "Transcriptomic landscape of cumulus cells from patients <38 years old with a history of poor ovarian response (POR) treated with platelet-rich plasma (PRP)."

10 Mar 2025

Researchers identify unique enzyme that targets prebiotic glycans

Carbohydrate chains, or glycans, are complex sugar-like compounds that play important roles in various biological processes and structures in our bodies.

6 Mar 2025

Carbs aren’t the hunger culprit: New research overturns belief that glycemic index drives overeating

A Cell Metabolism study finds that while high-GI meals spike insulin and glucose, they don’t increase hunger or consistently drive overeating, challenging the carbohydrate-insulin model’s central claims about obesity.

5 Mar 2025

Novel strategy targets beta cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York have discovered a novel approach to protecting insulin-producing beta cells from the damaging effects of glucolipotoxicity-a harmful condition linked to the progression of type 2 diabetes (T2D).

4 Mar 2025