A&P 24: Nutrition, Metabolism, & Body Temperature Regulation Flashcards
ATP
the chemical energy form used by cells
Kilocalories (kcal) or C
the energy value of foods is measured in this unit
Nutrient
substance in food the body uses to promote normal growth, maintenance, and repair
Major nutrients
carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins; bulk of what we eat
Healthy Eating Pyramid
food pyramid put out in 1992 by Walter Willett; 6 major food groups, subdivides some further
MyPlate
food guide (2011) by USDA using a round dinner plate as a symbol; shows food categories in healthy proportions as sections on the plate
Essential nutrients
at least 45 & possibly 50 molecules cannot be made fast enough to meet the body’s needs, so our diet must provide them
Glucose
monosaccharide; THE carbohydrate molecule ultimately used as fuel by body cells to produce ATP
Complete proteins
proteins in eggs, milk, fish, and most meats; meet all the body’s amino acid requirements for tissue maintenance and growth
Nitrogen balance
homeostatic state in healthy adults in which the rate of protein synthesis equals the rate of protein breakdown and loss
Vitamins
potent organic compounds needed in minute amounts for growth and good health
Coenzymes
most vitamins function as ___, which act with an enzyme to accomplish a particular chemical task
Water-soluble vitamins
B-complex vitamins (except B12) and vitamin C; absorbed along with water from the GI tract
Fat-soluble vitamins
vitamins A, D, E, & K; bind to ingested lipids and are absorbed along with their digestion products; anything that interferes with fat absorption also interferes with the uptake of fat-soluble vitamins
Minerals
the body requires moderate amounts of 7 of these (calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, magnesium) and trace amounts of about a dozen others; make up about 4% of the body by weight, with calcium and phosphorus (as bone salts) accounting for 3/4 of this amount
Metabolism
collective term for a variety of biochemical reactions
Anabolism
general term for all reactions that build larger molecules or structures from smaller ones, such as bonding amino acids to build proteins
Catabolism
all processes that break down complex structures to simpler ones, like the hydrolysis of foods in the digestive tract
Cellular respiration
group of catabolic reactions in which food fuels, particularly glucose, are broken down in cells and some of the energy released is captured to form ATP
Phosphorylated
when an enzyme shifts its high-energy phosphate groups to other molecules; primes a molecule to change in a way that increases its activity, produces motion, or does work
Oxidation reactions
many of the reactions that take place within cells; gain of oxygen or the loss of a hydrogen
Oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions
whenever one substance loses electrons (is oxidized), another substance gains them (is reduced)
Dehydrogenases
enzymes that catalyze redox reactions in which hydrogen atoms are removed
Oxidases
enzymes catalyzing the transfer of oxygen
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)
important coenzyme of the oxidative pathways, based on niacin
Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)
important coenzyme of the oxidative pathways, based on riboflavin
Substrate-level phosphorylation
occurs when high-energy phosphate groups are transferred directly from phosphorylated substrates (metabolic intermediates such as glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate) to ADP
Oxidative phosphorylation
complicated process; releases most of the energy that is eventually captured in ATP bonds during cellular respiration; carried out by electron transport proteins forming part of the inner mitochondrial membranes; chemiosmotic
Chemiosmotic processes
processes that couple the movement of substances across membranes to chemical reactions
Glycolysis
“sugar splitting”; occurs in the cytosol of cells; series of 10 chemical steps; converts glucose to 2 pyruvic acid molecules; all steps are reversible except the 1st
Pyruvic acid
final products of glycolysis = 2 molecules of this and 2 molecules of reduced NAD+ (NADH & H+)
Lactic acid
addition of 2 hydrogen atoms to pyruvic acid yields this
Aerobic pathways
when oxygen is again available, lactic acid is oxidized back to pyruvic acid and enters this pathway, and is completely oxidized to water and CO2
Krebs Cycle
stage of glucose oxidation after glycolysis; occurs in the mitochondrial matrix; fueled largely by pyruvic acid produced during glycolysis and by fatty acids resulting from fat breakdown
Transitional phase
converts pyruvic acid to acetyl coA; 3-step process: decarboxylation, oxidation, and formation of acetyl coA
Decarboxylation
one of pyruvic acid’s carbons is removed and released as carbon dioxide gas
Acetyl Coenzyme A (acetyl coA)
acetic acid is combined with coenzyme A to produce this reactive final product
Oxaloacetic acid
coenzyme A shuttles the 2-carbon acetic acid to an enzyme that condenses with this 4-carbon acid to produce the 6-carbon acid, citric acid
Citric acid
6-carbon acid produced from oxaloacetic acid