Final answer:
Carb counting is a true and effective nutritional strategy for managing diabetes by regulating blood sugar levels. Refined carbohydrates are particularly challenging for diabetics due to their impact on blood sugar. Carbohydrates play crucial roles ranging from energy provision in sports to taste perception and energy storage in the body.
Step-by-step explanation:
True, carb counting is indeed a diet plan widely used by individuals with diabetes. This approach allows them to manage their blood sugar levels more effectively. When excess carbohydrates are consumed, a person may experience alimentary glycosuria, which is especially common in those who have undergone partial gastrectomy. It's critical to understand the difference between refined (simple) carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. The former are particularly problematic for people with diabetes because they can cause spikes in blood sugar levels.
Carbohydrate-rich diet influences intestinal status by generating hyperglycemia or relative hypoglycemia, depending on whether the diet is rich or poor in carbohydrates, respectively. Furthermore, distance runners often engage in "carb loading" to increase their glycogen stores, which provides a ready energy source during long-distance events. This strategy does not directly cause the release of insulin nor are the excess carbohydrates immediately converted to fats; instead, they replenish glycogen reserves.
When a starchy food, such as a saltine cracker, is chewed for a prolonged period, it begins to taste sweet due to the enzyme amylase in saliva breaking down the starch into simpler sugars.
The order of carbohydrates from smallest to largest would be: fructose, sucrose, and cellulose. Glucose, one of the most vital sugars in the human body, is primarily stored by glycogen rather than lipids.