Eco Nutrition

Question 1

How does biodiversity increase an ecosystems resilience and protect against extinction of life forms?

Answer 1

In diversity, there is strength. The dynamic tension maintained between a variety of
organisms in an ecosystem gives the system its resilience. The more forms it takes, the
less likely life is to be wiped out by fire, flood, or Ice Age climate change.

Question 2

Explain how heavy metals can seriously interfere with body functions.

Answer 2

They do this by displacing or chemically “shoving aside” the beneficial metals,
preventing them from doing their jobs. Lead for instance displaces iron in the blood,
but unlike iron cannot carry oxygen. When it replaces iron, the oxygen supply to the
blood is reduced.

Question 3

List 2 disadvantages of trans fats for human beings.

Answer 3

1. They increase the risk of heart disease - they have been found to raise the bodys
   level of low-density lipoproteins, which can clog the blood vessels with fatty deposits, and to reduce the level of high-density lipoproteins, which would otherwise clear away those deposits.
2. They increase the risk of diabetes and Alzheimers disease.

Question 4

Explain what eutrophication is and how it affects our water systems.

Answer 4

Eutrophication - oversupply of nutrients - can cause rapid, heavy growth of algae and
other plants, which ingest oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. As a result, the underwater environment becomes choked with plants and the oxygen balance is disturbed, leaving insufficient oxygen for fish and other creatures. Massive fish die offs
can occur after such contamination. Dense growth of algae associated with eutrophication can cause a further threat, from toxic compounds secreted by such algal species as Prymnesium, and others. Fish and livestock - particularly pigs - are
vulnerable to algal toxins.

Question 5

Briefly describe possible negative effects of genetically modified (GM) foods on human health.

Answer 5

Allergic reaction
Cancer
Antibiotic resistance