<P> As a rule of thumb, polysaccharides contain more than ten monosaccharide units, whereas oligosaccharides contain three to ten monosaccharide units; but the precise cutoff varies somewhat according to convention . Polysaccharides are an important class of biological polymers . Their function in living organisms is usually either structure - or storage - related . Starch (a polymer of glucose) is used as a storage polysaccharide in plants, being found in the form of both amylose and the branched amylopectin . In animals, the structurally similar glucose polymer is the more densely branched glycogen, sometimes called "animal starch". Glycogen's properties allow it to be metabolized more quickly, which suits the active lives of moving animals . </P> <P> Cellulose and chitin are examples of structural polysaccharides . Cellulose is used in the cell walls of plants and other organisms, and is said to be the most abundant organic molecule on Earth . It has many uses such as a significant role in the paper and textile industries, and is used as a feedstock for the production of rayon (via the viscose process), cellulose acetate, celluloid, and nitrocellulose . Chitin has a similar structure, but has nitrogen - containing side branches, increasing its strength . It is found in arthropod exoskeletons and in the cell walls of some fungi . It also has multiple uses, including surgical threads . Polysaccharides also include callose or laminarin, chrysolaminarin, xylan, arabinoxylan, mannan, fucoidan and galactomannan . </P> <P> Nutrition polysaccharides are common sources of energy . Many organisms can easily break down starches into glucose; however, most organisms cannot metabolize cellulose or other polysaccharides like chitin and arabinoxylans . These carbohydrate types can be metabolized by some bacteria and protists . Ruminants and termites, for example, use microorganisms to process cellulose . </P> <P> Even though these complex polysaccharides are not very digestible, they provide important dietary elements for humans . Called dietary fiber, these carbohydrates enhance digestion among other benefits . The main action of dietary fiber is to change the nature of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract, and to change how other nutrients and chemicals are absorbed . Soluble fiber binds to bile acids in the small intestine, making them less likely to enter the body; this in turn lowers cholesterol levels in the blood . Soluble fiber also attenuates the absorption of sugar, reduces sugar response after eating, normalizes blood lipid levels and, once fermented in the colon, produces short - chain fatty acids as byproducts with wide - ranging physiological activities (discussion below). Although insoluble fiber is associated with reduced diabetes risk, the mechanism by which this occurs is unknown . </P>

Starch is made of many monomers of glucose linked together by the process of