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Carbohydrates: Structure and Function

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Carbohydrates: Structure and Function

Explore what carbohydrates are made of, where we find them and how the body uses them. Read the information and complete each task. For questions asking you to explain, use evidence from the fact file.

Carbohydrate fact file

Carbohydrates are molecules built from atoms. Sugars are small carbohydrates; glucose is one example. Starch is a larger carbohydrate made from many sugar units joined together. During digestion, starch is broken down into smaller sugars, including glucose. Cells can use glucose in respiration to release energy. Starchy foods such as bread, oats, potatoes and rice can provide carbohydrate. Fruit contains sugars as well as fibre and other nutrients. Carbohydrates are one part of a balanced diet; they are not all the same, and no single food tells the whole story of a person’s diet.

Investigate the ideas

Use the fact file to complete the tasks.

1.Which set of elements is found in carbohydrates? Choose one answer.

Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
Carbon, nitrogen and iron
Hydrogen, oxygen and calcium
Carbon and nitrogen only

2.From the foods listed in the fact file, name two that are commonly sources of starch and one that contains naturally occurring sugars.

3.Complete the sentence: glucose is a carbohydrate, while starch is a carbohydrate made from many sugar units.

4.Match each term to its best description.

Glucose
Starch
Digestion

The process that breaks food molecules into smaller molecules
A small sugar that cells can use in respiration
A large carbohydrate made from many sugar units

5.Put these events in the correct order by numbering them 1–3: cells use glucose in respiration; starch is broken down during digestion; smaller sugars, including glucose, are produced.

6.True or false? Every carbohydrate is a large molecule that takes a long time to digest. Correct the statement if it is false.

TrueFalse

7.Niamh is going on a long cycle. Explain how carbohydrate in food can help her body, using the words digestion, glucose and energy.

8.A classmate says, “Carbohydrates are always bad for you.” Write a response using two facts from the fact file. Avoid labelling a whole food group as simply good or bad.

9.Use the formula C₆H₁₂O₆ to draw and label a simple model of one glucose molecule. How many atoms of each element does it contain? Use labelled symbols or circles; the drawing does not need to show the atoms’ precise arrangement.