Importance of Carbohydrate Quality: What does it Mean and How to Measure it?

Dietary carbohydrates are our main source of energy. Traditionally, they are classified based on the polymer length between simple and complex carbohydrates, which does not necessarily reflect their impact on health. Simple sugars, such as fructose, glucose and lactose, despite having a similar energy efficiency and caloric content have very distinct metabolic effects, leading to increased risk for various chronic diseases when consumed in excess. In addition, beyond the absolute amount of carbohydrate consumed, recent data point out that the food form or processing level can modulate both the energy efficiency and the cardiometabolic risk associated with specific carbohydrates. In order to account for both of these aspects - the quality of carbohydrates as well as its food form - several metrics can be proposed to help identifying carbohydrate-rich food sources and distinguish between those that would favor the development of chronic diseases, of those that may contribute to prevent these. This review summarizes the findings presented during the American Society of Nutrition Satellite symposium on 'Carbohydrates Quality', where these different aspects were presented.