Inborn errors of carbohydrate metabolism

Hey kiddo! Do you know what carbohydrates are? They are a type of food that gives us energy. Imagine a toy car that needs fuel to run, carbohydrates are like that fuel for our body.

Sometimes, big machines inside our body called enzymes don't work like they should and that can make it hard for our body to use carbohydrates properly. When this happens, it's called an inborn error of carbohydrate metabolism.

You know how you need to follow a recipe to make a cake? Well, enzymes work like recipes that help turn carbohydrates into energy. When there is an inborn error, it's like a mistake in the recipe, and that can cause problems for our body.

For example, one type of inborn error is called galactosemia. That means our body can't break down a type of sugar called galactose that comes from milk. It can cause problems like liver damage and intellectual disability.

Another type is called glycogen storage disease. It means our body can't store carbohydrates the way it should. Our liver normally stores glucose (which comes from carbs) for us to use when we need extra energy, but if we have this type of error, our liver can't do that very well. So we might feel really tired or have trouble exercising.

These errors are very rare, but they can be very serious. Doctors can test for them when babies are born so that they can get the right treatment and stay healthy.