Biomedical Importance

Chief source of energy.

Constituents of compound lipids and conjugated proteins.

Degradation products act as "promoters" or 'catalysts'.

Certain carbohydrate derivatives are used as drugs like cardiac glycosides/antibiotics.

• Lactose principal sugar of milk-in lactating mammary gland.

• Degradation products utilised for synthesis of other substances such as fatty acids, cholesterol, amino acid, etc.

• Constituents of mucopolysaccharides which form the ground substance of mesenchymal tissues.

• Inherited deficiency of certain enzymes in metabolic pathways of

different carbohydrates can cause diseases, e.g. galactosemia,

glycogen storage diseases (GSDs), lactose intolerance, etc.

• Derangement of glucose metabolism is seen in diabetes mellitus.