Q. What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are important organic compounds widely distributed in animals and plants. Plants can synthesize carbohydrates by the process of photosynthesis in the presence of water and sunlight. Animals, on the other hand, can synthesize carbohydrates from lipids, glycerol and amino acids. They can also obtain their carbohydrates from the plant kingdom by consuming plant based foods. In animal cells, carbohydrates in the form of glucose and glycogen serve as an important source of energy for vital activities. Some carbohydrates have very specific functions e.g. ribose in nucleoproteins of cells, galactose in certain lipids, lactose in milk etc.