Question

What are the roles of carbohydrates in the body?

Answer 1

Carbohydrates provide your body with energy. The simplest are sugars, like glucose, fructose, sucrose and lactose. Complex carbohydrates, like starch, are made up of lots of sugar molecules joined together. The 'identity tags' (antigens) on the surface of all cells are made from carbohydrates joined to proteins.

Answer 2

The roles of carbohydrates is to provide energy through glycolysis and structural support in the body.  

Explanation:

Carbohydrates are classified into many types each having a different function in compare to other. These classes are:  

• Monosaccharides like glucose fructose etc.,  
• Disaccharides like sucrose, lactose etc.,  
• Polyols like sorbitol, erythritol etc.,
• Oligosaccharides like fructo-oligosaccharides,  
• Starch polysaccharides including amylose, amylopectin and malto-dextrins, and  
• Non- starch polysaccharides like cellulose, pectin and hemicellulose etc.

In plants cellulose is the major component of the cell walls and while glycogen stored in the animal muscles supports the proteins of the muscles. Carbohydrates like chitin make the exoskeleton of the insect.