Abstract
In the Central- and West-European regions saccharides provide approximately 40-60 % of energy supply. In the developing countries, in particular in the Asian part, saccharides cover approximately 75-80 % of energy requirements.
From both the clinical and physiological standpoints, saccharides fulfil also a significant structural and metabolic role and participate in the homeostasis of the inner environment. From the standpoint of energy sources, the pieces of information still differ as far as the use and characterization of burning temperature, digestibility and metabolic use are concerned.
For this reason, the energy obtained at a different stage of digestion of saccharides and also the total usable energy (ME), or pure usable energy (NME) are always differentiated and expressed in different types of saccharides.