Carbohydrates and diet: physiological, nutritional and health aspects

Carbohydrates are the most important family in the recommended diet, particularly in terms of energy. Nevertheless, they are regularly stigmatized for excessive consumption, which can lead to metabolic imbalances and pathologies such as overweight, obesity and diabetes. The relationship between diet and health is certainly not new, but it is increasingly central to the concerns of consumers in Western countries, who are concerned not only about their life expectancy, but also about the conditions under which they will age. Nutrition has become a leading science, and as a result, studies demonstrating the benefits and detriments of diet on the state of health of the inhabitants of industrialized countries are legion. The public authorities have seized on this fact, since diet has become a major public health issue, not only in terms of citizens' well-being, but also as an effective lever for reducing the deficits of our health insurance system... With this in mind, since 2001 they have been implementing a National Nutrition and Health Plan, which is currently in its third edition (PNNS 2011/2015). This plan is accompanied by information campaigns aimed at reducing consumption of fatty, salty and (more particularly) sugary foods... In order to better understand the simplified recommendations of human nutrition specialists to restrict energy intake in the form of carbohydrates, and in particular sugars, this article aims to explore the close and complex relationship between this family of nutrients and human health.

Physiological aspects are addressed first, with a brief description of digestive processes, which enable us to divide carbohydrates into two categories: those that are digestible and fibers, which are not. Functional disorders are discussed in the light of food intolerance phenomena specific to certain carbohydrates. The nutritional dimension of carbohydrates is then brought to a close by the processes of absorption, metabolism and carbohydrate regulation... The health and nutrition aspects provide an opportunity to draw up a rapid portrait of French carbohydrate consumption, to discuss the main indicators for balanced dietary intake management, to present an overview of the various nutritional recommendations, and to outline the effects of excessive sugar consumption on health.

Another article [F 6 154] deals with the technological functionalities provided by carbohydrates in the food industry.