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What current research is ongoing regarding carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are an essential part of our diet. However, there is always the worry
of too much of a good thing. New diet drugs are constantly under research and
testing that are intended to decrease our desire for the sweet stuff.
What kind of medical research is ongoing regarding carbohydrates?
Recent research has disproven that hyperactivity in children in linked to monosaccharide consumption.
Hyperactivity in children
How are proteins and carbohydrates related (i.e. structure, function, etc.)?
Polysaccharides are analogous to proteins in that they also have
distinguishable types of structures (primary, secondary structures.) If a
polysaccharide is composed of only one kind of monomer residue
(B-D-glucose for cellulose); it is referred to as a homopolysaccharide. If they
are composed of two or more they are referred to as heteropolysaccharides.
However even the most complex of polysaccharide structures are relatively
simple when comparing them to that of proteins. For the most part no more
than two different types of residues are usually involved. Polysaccharides are
different than proteins in that they have random lengths. The function of
polysaccharides is directly related to their structure. Depending on the
specific role of a polysaccharide, it may or may not require a complicated
three dimensional shape which is most often involved when observing the
structure of proteins. For example, polysaccharides such as starch are simply
long chains because their function only requires that they store energy. On
the other hand, molecules such as the oligosaccharides which may be found
on the surface of certain glycoproteins, serve the role of identifying cells or
molecules with complex three dimensional shapes because they must interact
with other molecules and convey information.
Is there any scientific research ongoing regarding carbohydrate metabolism?
Currently, there is research regarding disorders and inborn errors within metabolism , including defective proteins and disease,
mucopolysaccharides and related diseases, oligosaccharidoses, and glycogen storage diseases. Please refer to Information on Inborn Errors In Metabolism.
