Cellular & Molecular Bioscience - Nutrition. macro-nutrients Flashcards
Nutrition
Nutrient
Science of foods and their actions within the body. This includes: Relationship between health and disease (malnutrition)
any substance that is absorbed into the bloodstream from the diet and used to promote the various functions of the body.
Diet
selection of foods and beverages that an individual eats and drinks
balanced diet - appropriate intake of nutrients for health
What are the 6 nutrient classes?
Macronutrients
carbohydrates
proteins
lipids
water
Micronutrients
vitamins
mineral salts
Macronutrients - energy-yielding nutrients:
Organic nutrients that are broken down to provide energy
energy released from nutrients can be measured in;
calories
or
kcal
1000 cals in 1 kcal
daily calorie intake
2,000 Kcal - women
2,500 Kcal - men
Excessive prolonged lower calories intake – weight loss
Nutrient/energy deficiencies
Consistent higher calories intake
weight gain - Obesity/risk of chronic diseases
what are carbohydrates made up of?
Monosaccharides – simple sugars –
Smallest sugar Unit
General formula (CH2O)n, where n is 3 to 6.
Disaccharides
two linked monosaccharide units
Polysaccharides
composed of between a few and thousands of monosaccharides linked together.
E.g. cellulose, glycogen, starches, chitin (fungal cell wall component)
examples of monosaccharides
1) Glucose – enters the cells via an active transport
source of immediate energy (via cellular respiration, generating ATP – Lecture 6). 1g produces 4 Kcal
Excess are stored as glycogen (by condensation reactions) by hepatic (liver) and muscle cells
Blood glucose regulation by insulin and glucagon
2) Fructose
3) Galactose
examples of Disaccharides (units of 2 monosaccharides)
1) Sucrose - composed of a glucose + fructose
2) Lactose - composed of a galactose + glucose
3) Maltose – composed of 2 glucose units
Key structural motif of starch. It is released during starch breaking down (digestion)
examples of Polysaccharides – chains of monosaccharides
1) Glycogen - multibranched polysaccharide of glucose
in meats (in a limited extent)
Storage form of glucose, mainly in hepatic and skeletal muscle cells
If glycogen is abundant, glucose excess can be used to make fats
2) Starch - long, branched or unbranched glucose chains
in grains, rice, wheat (storage form of glucose in plants)
Broken down during digestion, by salivary and pancreatic amylases into disaccharides (maltose), then hydrolysed into monosaccharides (glucose) energy source
Polysaccharides in nutrition (Dietary fibres)
Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes
Digestion - undigested until the large intestine, where some are broken down by bacteria
Trap/get rid of bile ( cholesterol levels) and molecules in the gut regulate bowel activity
Prevention of heart diseases, obesity, as they help lower cholesterol
What are the risks of low fibre intake diets?
Constipation and haemorrhoids
Increased risk of heart diseases and some types of tumours
E.g. colon cancer
Glycaemic Index (GI)
Degree to which a food increases blood sugars and elicit insulin response
(diff carbo. digested and absorbed at different rates)
High GI (processed carbs, white bread, potatoes, watermelon) > raise blood sugar high and rapidly
Low GI (fruit, legumes, whole wheat) raise blood sugar slowly and to a lesser extent
Why has unhealthy foods such as crisps and chocolates have low GI
contains a lot of fat so the lipophilic effect means less carbohydrates absorption
what type of food should type 2 diabetes consume?
low GI foods
Help stabilise long-term blood glucose levels
(contains a lot of fat)