Carbohydrates act as the primary energy source for the body.
Carbohydrate digestion starts in the mouth via an enzyme called amylase that is in your saliva. As you chew, saliva is released and amylase starts to partially break down carbs into their sugar forms.
Once these sugars pass into the stomach and small intestine, pancreatic enzymes further break down these sugars into monosaccharides which are taken up into the liver.
The liver then decides whether or not to
a) Store it as glycogen converted to fat via the process called de novo lipogenesis, or
b) Release it into the blood as glucose to be used by peripheral tissues.
The bulk of excess sugar gets released into the blood as glucose. Once released, the pancreas senses the increase in glucose and releases insulin in response. Insulin lowers blood glucose by triggering receptors in the body’s muscle or fat cells to increase glucose uptake.
The body requires a certain amount of glucose to function and parts of the brain, the nervous system and red blood cells all require glucose to function optimally.
The liver is constantly producing glucose regardless of your carb intake.
Your body can produce glucose with zero carbohydrate intake, but you will go through these stores quickly, hitting a wall fast, particularly when it comes to higher intensity training.
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