D1 Flashcards
what is a nutrient?
a Nutrient is a chemical substance found in food used the human body.
what are the 6 classes of nutrients?
Carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals and water.
what is an essential nutrient
those that cannot be synthesised by the body and must be ingested as part of the diet
what are non essential nutrients?
nutrients that an be made by the body or have a replacement nutrient which serves the same dietary purpose.
are carbohydrates essential nutrients?
they are not considered an essential nutrients as the human diets can obtain energy from other sources without ill effect.
how is malnutrition caused?
is cause by a deficiency, imbalance or excess of nutrients in the diet.
what are the types of malnutrition?
overnutrition (too much), undernutrition (not enough), and inadequate utilisation of nutrients by the body.
what are common signs of malnutrition?
stunted growth, wasting and obesity.
how can the energy content of food be estimated?
can be estimated by burning a sample of known mass and measuring the energy released via calorimetry.
what does the combustion of food sources cause?
causes the stored energy to be released as heat which raises the temperature of water
what is the amount of energy required to raise 1g of water by 1 degree celsius
1.48J
what is the equation for energy
Energy (joules) = Mass of water (g) × 4.2 (J/gºC) × Temperature increase (ºC)
what is the biggest source of error in calorimetry?
the unwanted loss of heat to the surrounding environment
what are the three nutrients commonly used as energy stores?
Carbohydrates, lipids (fats) and proteins
why are carbohydrates preferentially used as energy sources?
because they are easier to digest and transport.
why are lipids used for long-term storage?
they can store more energy per gram but are harder to digest and transport.
what does protein metabolism produce?
produces nitrogenous water products which must be removed from cells
how are proteins constructed?
they are constructed by amino acids
how many different amino acids are there?
there are 20 different universal amino acids
what are the three types of amino acids according to dietary requirements
essential, non-essential or conditionally non-essential
what are essential amino acids?
essential amino acids cannot be produced by the body and must be present in the diet.
what are non-essential amino acids?
essential amino acids can be produced by the body and therefore not required as part of the diet.
what are conditionally non-essential amino acids?
conditionally non-essential amino acids can be produced by the body, but at lower rates than requirement. they are essential at certain times only.
what does a shortage of one or more essential amino acids in the diet do?
the shortage will prevent the production of specific proteins.
what is Phenylketonuria (PKU)
it is a genetic condition that results in impaired metabolism of the amino acid phenylalanine
what is a shortage of one or more essential amino acids know as?
this is known as protein deficiency malnutrition. The health effect will vary depending on the amino acid shortage.
what they of mutation if PKU
it is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a mutation on the gene encoding the enzyme Phenylalanine hydroxylase.