Lipids are an important element of the cell membrane. The structure is usually composed of a glycerol backbone.
Carbohydrates, it's very literal: are “hydrates of carbon” and possess the general structure of C(n)H(2n)O(n).
- Lipid molecules comprise more energy per gram than carbohydrates: close to two times as much.
- Carbohydrates are more readily ingested than lipids and discharge their energy more quickly.
- Monosaccharides and disaccharides are water-soluble and are less complicated to move to and from storage places than lipids.
- Animals manage to apply carbohydrates fundamentally for short-term energy storage, while lipids are applied more for long-term energy storage.
- Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in creatures while lipids are stored as fats. In plants, carbohydrates are stored as cellulose and lipids as greases.
- Lipids have less impact on osmotic force inside a cell than complex carbohydrates.