As I understand it, you body doesn't burn carbohydrates. It converts them to glucose (sugar) and burns that. Your liver serves as the storage pantry for glucose. There's a certain amount of glucose in your blood all the time, and when it drops too low or the demand for energy rises, your liver pumps out more. dharmakitten/KharmaKitty, yes, sugar is a carbohydrate. However, while glucose (which is what your body converts carbohydrates into) is a type of sugar, it is not a true carbohydrate, since it isn't produced by a photosynthetic plant. So to answer the question adequately, I had to differentiate between carbohydrates and glucose (just as nutritionists do, by the way). Please be sure to rate answers on how well they answer the question that was asked. breadmanpaul, the glucose our bodies burn is not technically a carbohydrate, since it isn't produced by a photosynthetic plant. Please read my additional comments. Although I had not wanted to get too technical in this answer, it seems I need to add some more specific information. Carbohydrates are any of a group of organic compounds that includes sugars, starches, celluloses, and gums and serves as a major energy source in the diet of animals. THESE COMPOUNDS ARE PRODUCED BY PHOTOSYNTHETIC PLANTS and contain only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, usually in the ratio 1:2:1. Our bodies do not produce carbohydrate. When we ingest carbohydrates they are metabolized into glucose. This glucose, not being created by a photosynthetic plant, is technically NOT a carbohydrate. Thus, our bodies DO NOT BURN CARBOHYDRATE. Excess glucose is converted to glycogen (which again is NOT A CARBOHYDRATE) and stored, primarily in the liver and the skeletal muscles. When athletes load on carbs, they want the extra glycogen available in the muscles. When there is more glycogen than can be stored in the liver and skeletal muscles, it's stored as body fat. When the body needs more glucose to burn, the liver converts the glycogen back to glucose through a process called glycogenolysis, and the body burns the glucose (which, once again, IS NOT A CARBOHYDRATE). When answering questions (and rating answers), it's best to keep the original question and the category in mind. Also, answers should be rated on how well they answer the question (again considering the category). When you find an answer you think is incorrect, it's often helpful to do some research before rating it. None of us knows everything, and we all "know" things that we think are correct, but aren't. Mater Asker, yes, sugar, at least the kind that comes from plants, is carbohydrate. But our bodies don't burn "sugar," they burn "glucose," which is NOT made by a plant and is therefore NOT a "carbohydrate." I'm a diabetic, so I actually DO know something about how the body processes carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are not stored like fat, although you do store some carbohydrate in your liver and in your blood. Carbohydrates come from the food you eat and your liver converts fat into carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are sugars, starches, and other similar compounds. Carbohydrates come from the foods we eat, especially plants. The carbs that you don't burn are actually stored AS FAT. That's why you'll get fat if you eat lots of sugary foods.

I could have been more clear in my answer. Fats are stored as fat. You body does not store carbohydrates. Rather, you liver converts carbohydrates to fat and then stores the fat. Your liver also converts fat back to carbohydrates for use by your cells.

But ALL glucose IS carbohydrate. And your liver does convert stored fat into glucose. Your body has very little use for fat. Cholesterol is a fatty alcohol and hormones are made from fat. However, there is very little else your body does with fat besides store it. Everything else uses carbohydrates and proteins and it's your liver that converts stored fat to carbohydrates.

There are three forms of food substances from which the body can obtain energy (calories): proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Glucose has to be one of those three. Glucose is sugar. Sugar, ALL sugar, is carbohydrate. The source of the sugar is irrelevant. Check out: http://www.cem.msu.edu/~reusch/VirtualText/carbhyd.htm That's the Michigan State University Department of Chemistry site. Don't stop at the first sentence or two, continue reading. There is a section on glucose. It says: The most common carbohydrate is glucose. http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/Carbohydrates.html Provides a discussion of carbohydrates, including glucose. http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/carbohydrates.html Another discussion of carbohydrates, including glucose. http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/543glucose.html Says: Glucose is by far the most common carbohydrate http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/organic/carb.html The name carbohydrate means "watered carbon" or carbon with attached water molecules. Many carbohydrates have empirical formuli which would imply about equal numbers of carbon and water molecules. For example, the glucose formula C6H12O6 suggest six carbon atoms and six water molecules.

You have a regular level of sugar in your bloodstream, and your muscle will store carbohydrates also. Carbohydrates can also be converted to fat, called triglycerides. Contrary to some of the responses here, you body will burn carbohydrates, fats, and to a lesser extent protein. While carbohydrates are the preferred source, if a person goes on an extremely low carbohydrate diet, they enter what is called ketosis. This is where the body switches from carbohydrate burning to fat burning as the primary fuel source. If you go too long without eating, your body will think there is a risk of famine, and will start burning muscle tissue and protein. Back to carbohydrates, insulin maintains a balance of blood sugar. If it is too high, insulin will bump up, forcing it into muscle tissue and organs. If the insulin levels go to high, the muscle tissue will reduce insulin sensitivity, and the fat cells will take up more of the carbohydrates.

white bread,rice,cakes,ect are simple carbohydrates and get absorbed into the blood stream immediatly and so you get the sugar high/low problem.Complex carbohydrates wholemeal bread,rice,pasta ect ,the breakdown starts in the mouth with saliva enzymes then passes to the stomach where the enzyme trypsin is produced to complete the breakdown into glucose ,it then enters the bloodstream and taken to the liver where if it is not going to be used it is changed to glycogen and stored in the adipose tissue(fat).