Question

How does the consumption of too many carbohydrates lead to an increase in body fat?

Answer 1

Excess consumption of carbohydrates leads to increase in body fat.

Carbohydrates are immediate energy sources. When body demands energy, carbohydrates are readily catabolized by the respiration pathway to produce ATP.

If excess carbohydrates are consumed, the remaining carbohydrates after respiratory requirement are converted to glycogen and stored in the liver. These glycogen stores support energy requirements for a day during fasting.

If large amounts of carbohydrates are consumed, they are converted to fats and stored in the adipose tissue.

The advantage of storing fats as energy reserves is that they occupy less space as they are energy-rich compounds (highly reduced).