What exactly are carbohydrates?

What exactly are carbohydrates? And how do they behave in the body?

Most of us are familiar with the fact that sugar breaks down quickly and goes straight into the bloodstream as glucose, causing blood sugar levels to spike. What is less well known is that the same thing happens to all other types of carbohydrates, such as starch in potatoes, and from grains, whether finely ground or coarsely ground.

The blood should normally not contain more than about 4 grams of sugar at any one time, which is about a small teaspoon. So when we eat something that contains maybe 10 and 20 and 100 grams of carbohydrates, the body gets very busy cleaning the blood of this poison. Because in the body, that's what sugar is to every single cell; a very destructive poison, as soon as there is even a tiny bit too much of it.

One slice of regular white bread contains 3-4 teaspoons of sugar, and that's before we add the Nugatti. Together with the Nugatti, we end up with as much as 6-7 teaspoons of sugar, just from a single small slice. That's 5-6 teaspoons the sea sugar than the blood should contain before it becomes literally toxic to all of our cells.

Not a poison that makes us drop dead on the spot, of course. But a toxicity that over time destroys us a little bit every day.

If you drink a small glass of orange juice with this, which contains 5-6 teaspoons of sugar, we are suddenly up to 12-13 teaspoons of sugar from a very small, and very nutrient-poor meal. 12-13 teaspoons of sugar corresponds to 48-52 grams of sugar, in a blood that becomes toxic if it increases by any significant amount from 4 grams.

This was just the first, tiny meal of the day, and not at all an unusual breakfast for a kindergarten child. And interestingly enough, it is the Nougat that is the least sweet – probably surprising to many. 12-13 teaspoons of sugar into a blood that becomes toxic if there is more than 1.

It is absolutely correct that a bit glucose in the blood at all times is important and correct, and that without these 4 grams we will become very sick and die. But this is fixed by the body itself, and we do not need to spise a single carbohydrate intake throughout life to achieve these perfect blood levels. The liver continuously produces all the grams of sugar it needs!

That's when vi We start to worry about what we put in our bodies, and our blood sugar levels skyrocket to toxic levels.

So the modern amounts of carbohydrates that have been pushed into us, almost literally with all this propaganda, have undoubtedly led to very big problems for the human animal.

How does the breakdown, or metabolism, of carbohydrates take place?

When you eat something that contains starch, like potatoes or bread, the breakdown into sugar starts in your mouth. Your saliva contains an enzyme called amylase which breaks down starch into smaller sugar molecules, mainly maltose (a type of disaccharide). This means that food can actually start to taste a little sweeter as you chew. You may not notice it on your tongue, because the food may be hidden in salt and other flavors. For your brain, however, it sends a signal to the areas that control your reward system.

This is not an area that is concerned with your health, and with nutritional content and life expectancy. This is an area that focuses on life being delicious. When your tongue gets a warning from this Fraggle Mountain that drugs are on the way, you get a very special feeling of enjoying the food. Then it doesn't matter that the food isn't really food. What matters at that moment is something that must be compared to a drug.

Anyone with a food addiction knows this well. They know that something is definitely not to be eaten, and they end up eating the very thing they absolutely should not be eating. Even when they have healthy, nutritious food right next to them.

Does it help with fiber, whole grains and a high glycemic index?

The fiber in grains can slow down how quickly sugar is released into the bloodstream. Especially in whole grains, for example, because it takes longer for the enzymes to reach the starch. In that case, the product is said to have a "high glycemic index," or GI.

This is promoted as the holy grail, but it just means that instead of your blood sugar rising high and fast, and falling just as quickly again, your sugar stays there for hours, perhaps until you eat another dose. This can put you at risk of chronically high blood sugar, even if you don't have diabetes.

So it must be said that this is a very quick way to get diabetes. Something we know, the way society is developing. We know.

The future of sugar

In all of the above cases, and regardless of the source of this sugar, the process proceeds in the same way as for starch, with complete breakdown in the small intestine into glucose, and perhaps some fructose and galactose. Refined grains, such as in white bread or pasta, break down even faster, in fact as fast as table sugar, because the fiber and other natural barriers have been removed.

Once the glucose is released, it is absorbed through the wall of the small intestine and goes straight into the bloodstream. This causes a rise in blood sugar, which the body must quickly regulate. The pancreas secretes insulin, a hormone that helps the cells in the body absorb the glucose from the blood.

The pancreas also shuts down glucagon, which is the opposite of insulin. It's almost worse. Where insulin is the master of building something up, so anabolic, glucagon is the master at breaking things down, catabolic.

So to break down, for example, fat, which is often desired, then mustn't insulin down. This only happens when blood sugar is normally low, with this one necessary teaspoon, and no more than that. Then glucagon goes up, which never happens when the pancreas is busy making insulin.

The pancreas, poetically enough, has this production going on in the "islets of Langerhans", where alpha cells produces glucagon (which breaks down), and beta cells (which builds up). What is important to understand is that both do not happen at the same time. You have to make a choice, in a way.

So if you choose a diet with a lot of carbohydrates, that is, a lot of sugar, you are choosing to be in a state of buildup. What is called anabolic status. And that's why we talk about anabolic steroids that some bodybuilders use. And insulin is the hormone that drives this, because insulin is designed to build, build, build, whether it's fat or muscle.

If you want to “lose weight” on this high-carb diet, starvation, malnutrition, and calorie counting are the only options. This is not a good or sustainable option. Starvation is possibly the worst and most terrifying state of an animal, right? So why do we do it to ourselves?

If you instead choose a diet without carbohydrates/sugar, the amount of insulin decreases significantly (because we need some), and the amount of glucagon increases. Alpha cells, as opposed to insulin's beta cells from the pancreas, starts pouring in glucagon. And glucagon breaks down your fat, even if you eat your fill. Because glucagon wants to break down, and it just needs to be released.

What does the body do with all the sugar in the blood?

Insulin is rushing around trying to stuff it into your cells, but if the cells don't need all that sugar for energy right then and there, they ignore the insulin, say no to the sugar. Then it has to be converted into fat and stored somewhere in the body.

When you have had a large excess of sugar (carbohydrates) over time, not only do normal functional cells get tired of the insulin that is pressing on them. Fat cells also start to get tired, and then you have achieved a disease state called insulin resistance. No cells want more of all the sugar we stuff into us. In practice, you have diabetes/diabetes 2, or what was previously called adult-onset diabetes, although many people now receive this diagnosis as children.

The sugar then remains in the blood, and you have a persistently high, and increasingly high, blood sugar level. Before this elevation is measured at the doctor's office, we may have been sick for many years already, but an ever-increasing insulin production managed to hide it.

The only solution then is to stop adding more sugar. Incredibly, you can then reverse many years of problems in just weeks or days.

Below you will find a long and boring overview of types of carbohydrates and sugars. Enjoy!

Main types of carbohydrates

  1. Monosaccharides (simple sugars)
    • Glucose (dextrose)
    • Fructose (fruit sugar)
    • Galactose
  2. Disaccharides (two linked sugars)
    • Sucrose (regular table sugar, glucose + fructose)
    • Lactose (milk sugar, glucose + galactose)
    • Maltose (malt sugar, glucose + glucose)
  3. Oligosaccharides (3–10 linked sugars)
    • Raffinose (glucose + fructose + galactose)
    • Stachyose (glucose + fructose + two galactoses)
    • We often find it in legumes and certain vegetables.
  4. Polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates, long chains of glucose)
    • Starch (in potatoes, rice, wheat, corn, etc.)
      • Amylose (straight chain)
      • Amylopectin (branched chain)
    • Glycogen (storage form in the liver and muscles of animals)
    • Dietary fiber (not digestible by humans):
      • Cellulose
      • hemicellulose
      • Pectin

Types of sugar (simple and complex sugars)

  1. Natural sugars
    • Fructose (in fruit, honey)
    • Glucose (in fruits, vegetables, honey)
    • Lactose (in milk and dairy products)
    • Maltose (in sprouted grain and malt extract)
  2. Added sugar
    • Sucrose (refined table sugar, from sugar beets or sugar cane)
    • High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS, used in soda and prepared foods)
    • Invert sugar (partially broken down sucrose, more liquid)
  3. Sugar alcohols (often used in sugar-free products)
    • Xylitol
    • Sorbitol
    • Mannitol
    • Erythritol
  4. Other varieties of sugar
    • Brown sugar (sucrose with molasses)
    • Granulated sugar (powdered sucrose)
    • Candy sugar (crystallized sucrose)
    • Honey (a mixture of fructose, glucose, and water)
    • Agave syrup (mainly fructose)
    • Coconut sugar (sucrose with small amounts of minerals from the coconut blossom)

Additional details for carbohydrates

  1. Modified carbohydrates
    • Dextrins: Partially broken down starch (used in food products as a thickener).
    • Maltodextrin: A hydrolyzed form of starch, often used in sports drinks and processed foods.
  2. Unusual oligosaccharides
    • Verbascose: An oligosaccharide found in legumes.
    • Fructans: Polymers of fructose (e.g. inulin, found in Jerusalem artichokes and onions).
  3. Other polysaccharides
    • Agarose and agaropectin: From red algae, used in foods as gelatin alternatives.
    • Alginates: From brown algae, used as stabilizers in food.

Added sugars and related compounds

  1. Rare natural sugars
    • Ribose: Found in RNA and is a source of energy in cells (ATP).
    • Arabinose: Natural in plants, often used in research.
    • Xylose: Found in wood and certain plants.
  2. Added sugar in various forms
    • Treacle: A type of syrup made from sugar cane or sugar beets (like molasses).
    • Glucose syrup: Simple sugars extracted from starch, common in baked goods and candy.
  3. Other sweeteners (partial carbohydrates)
    • Tagatose: A low-calorie sugar found naturally in milk.
    • Lactitol: Used as an alternative to sugar in sugar-free products.

Synthetic sweeteners (artificially produced)

  1. aspartame
    • Side effects: Can cause headaches, migraines, allergic reactions and has been linked to neurological problems. Some studies have suggested a link to cancer, although most authorities believe it is safe in moderate amounts.
    • Found in: Diet drinks, chewing gum, dessert products.
  2. Sucralose (Splenda)
    • Side effects: Can disrupt gut flora, have a negative effect on insulin sensitivity, and some believe it can release toxic compounds when heated.
    • Found in: Sweeteners for baking and beverages, low-calorie snacks.
  3. saccharin
    • Side effects: Previously linked to cancer in animal studies, but more recent research has not found this connection in humans. Still, it remains controversial.
    • Found in: Diet drinks and sweet products.
  4. Acesulfame K
    • Side effects: May have negative effects on the gut microbiome, cause allergic reactions and potentially lead to cancer, even though it is approved by authorities.
    • Found in: Sweeteners, diet drinks, pastries.

Natural sweeteners (may be dangerous in large amounts or for certain individuals)

  1. Stevia
    • Side effects: Although stevia is considered relatively safe, large amounts can lead to low blood pressure, digestive problems, or hormonal disruptions. It is also controversial because of how some stevia extracts may be chemically produced.
    • Found in: Sweeteners, diet products, beverages.
  2. Agave syrup
    • Side effects: Contains very high levels of fructose, which can lead to insulin sensitivity, liver damage, and obesity. Long-term use may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome.
    • Found in: Sweet products, energy drinks, snacks.
  3. Honey (could be controversial in certain cases)
    • Side effects: May contain toxins such as botulinum spores (especially dangerous for babies), and excessive intake can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar. Raw honey may also contain toxic substances.
    • Found in: Foods as natural sweetener.
  4. Xylitol (sugar alcohol)
    • Side effects: While xylitol is safe for humans in moderate amounts, it can be extremely toxic to dogs, and excessive intake can lead to digestive problems such as diarrhea and bloating.
    • Found in: Chewing gum, sugar-free candy, pastries.
  5. Erythritol (sugar alcohol)
    • Side effects: Generally considered safe in small amounts, but can cause digestive problems such as gas, diarrhea, and bloating at high doses. There is still uncertainty about long-term effects.
    • Found in: Low-calorie products and sugar-free alternatives.

SOURCES

Photo: Shutterstock license

Anyone can comment by logging in with their Facebook or Google accounts.. Norwegian Carnivory is not health care. You must seek medical attention for medical problems.

Written 2025 © Norwegian Carnivory

Would you like to help spread the message?

Did you bring these with you?