I don't understand how carbohydrates work or what they do.

What is it made out of?

I need specifics and lots of details!

answer:

Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the body and include both simple sugars and larger complex carbohydrates. Your body can use carbohydrates right away or convert them into a storage form called glycogen. Excess carbohydrates can also be converted to fat.

Chemistry

No matter how big they are, all carbohydrates are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen with the general formula of Cm(H2O)n. For example, a simple little sugar molecule like glucose is made up of six carbon atoms, 12 hydrogen atoms, and six oxygen atoms. It is shaped like a hexagon and has the formula C6(H2O)6. A large starch molecule can be made of many little sugar molecules connected to form a long chain. The small m and n in our general formula, Cm(H2O)n, can run into the hundreds.

Simple Sugars

Simple sugars are made up of one or two sugar units. One common simple sugar is glucose, C6(H2O)6, and it is the sugar our bodies and brains use for energy every day. Glucose is called a monosaccharide, which means "single sugar." Other monosaccharides include fructose, galactose, and ribose. Fructose is found in fruits and vegetables; galactose is found in milk; and ribose is best known as a part of ribonucleic acid, which is a part of genetic transcription and is found in the cells in our bodies.