Carbohydrate, behaviour and health

Abstract EN

The ingestion of all forms of dietary carbohydrate confers benefits to human behaviour and health.

Dietary carbohydrate is an essential component of healthy diets.

It is a macronutrient that not only provides energy, but also serves as an important regulator of the nervous system of human behaviours and of metabolism.

Carbohydrate ingestion affects the nervous system through its provision of glucose and energy source and by its effect on neurotransmitter synthesis in the brain and by activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

As a result, carbohydrate ingestion has a positive effect on several human behaviours, including appetite, sleep, activity, mood, cognition and physical performance.

Through their effects on metabolism, high carbohydrate diets, compared with high fat diets, are generally associated with lower risk of chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

An exception is dental caries which, in the absence of fluoridated water and attention to oral hygiene are increased by consumption of fermentable carbohydrate.

Dietary advice on carbohydrate should recognise the health benefits of all carbohydrate foods including those containing sugars, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides.

An optimum diet contains at least 55% of total energy from carbohydrates, the sources of which may be selected, at least in part, on the basis of their glycemic index.