Many complex carbohydrate foods contain fiber, vitamins and minerals, and they take longer to digest – which means they have less of an immediate impact on blood sugar, causing it to rise more slowly. These carbohydrates have more complex chemical structures, with three or more sugars linked together (known as oligosaccharides and polysaccharides). Simple carbohydrates are easily and quickly utilized for energy by the body because of their simple chemical structure, often leading to a faster rise in blood sugar and insulin secretion from the pancreas – which can have negative health effects. These carbohydrates are composed of sugars (such as fructose and glucose) which have simple chemical structures composed of only one sugar (monosaccharides) or two sugars (disaccharides). In the past, carbohydrates were commonly classified as being either “simple” or “complex,” and described as follows: Over time, the heavy demands made on the insulin-making cells wears them out, and insulin production eventually stops. This condition, known as insulin resistance, causes blood sugar and insulin levels to stay high long after eating.

Type 2 diabetes usually develops gradually over a number of years, beginning when muscle and other cells stop responding to insulin.

This interplay of insulin and glucagon ensure that cells throughout the body, and especially in the brain, have a steady supply of blood sugar.Ĭarbohydrate metabolism is important in the development of type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body can’t make enough insulin or can’t properly use the insulin it makes.

When this happens, the pancreas start making glucagon, a hormone that signals the liver to start releasing stored sugar.

As cells absorb blood sugar, levels in the bloodstream begin to fall.

As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that prompts cells to absorb blood sugar for energy or storage.

When people eat a food containing carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks down the digestible ones into sugar, which enters the blood.

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