Module 1 - Metabolism and Nutrition Flashcards
What is an organic molecule?
Forms the basis of all living organisms
always contains CARBON, HYDROGEN as primary structural ingredients
4 Major groups: Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nucleic acid
Carbon has unique bonding properties
an ability to form long chains, no other element can do this
Carbohydrates include:
sugars glucose starches glycogen cellulose
what are the 5 most IMPORTANT monosccharides?
Glucose: bood sugar
Fructose: Fruit sugar
Galactose: a milk sugar component
Deoxyribose: in DNA
ribose: in RNA
What are the 3 most important disaccharides?
Covalent bonding of pairs of monosaccharides produces numerous disaccharides
Glucose + Fructose = SUCROSE (table sugar)
Glucose + Glucose = MALTOSE (barley sugar)
Glucose + Galactose = LACTOSE (milk sugar)
What are the 3 storage polysaccharides?
Glycogen - storage form of glucose in humans
Starch - plants are able to synthesize glucose
Cellulose - polymer of glucose, major component of cell walls
What are triglycerides made up of?
THREE FATTY ACID CHAINS
bound to GLYCEROL by dehydration synthesis
Difference between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids?
Saturated fats = solid at room temperature (no double bonds)
Unsaturated fats = liquid at room temperature, single and double covalent bonds
Polymers of amino acids work by..
Amino acids (monomer) –> peptides (short chains) –> proteins (larger and folded into complex shapes)
What are the 7 functions of proteins?
structural transport regulatory movement immune response cell signaling catalysts
what are enzyme?
special kinds of proteins that speed up chemical reactions
What are the 3 major types of enzymes used to chemically digest the food we eat?
LIPASES - break down lipids
PROTEASES - break down proteins
AMYLASES - break down carbohydrates
What is metabolism? What is anabolism and catabolism?
Metabolism refers to all chemical reactions of the body
Anabolism consists of reactions that combine simple substances into more complex molecules
Catabolism consists of reactions that break down complex organic compounds into simple ones
Enzymes serve as catalysts to speed up chemical reactions
What is the role of ATP in linking anabolic and catabolic reactions?
ATP is central to metabolism, mostly manufactured in the mitochondria by breaking down various energy source molecules, in particular, glucose
What are the 3 storage forms of energy?
glycogen, triglycerides and proteins
Glycogen is short term
Triglycerides and proteins are long term
Glucose as energy
glucose is the body’s preferred energy source
Lipids as energy
lipids have more than tiwce the energy content than carbohydrates but are catabolized more slowly, triglycerides are the longer term energy storage molecule found in adipose tissue
Protein as energy
proteins form the important functional molecules in the body
What is BMR?
basal metabolic rate or energy cost of living
energy expenditure while at rest, awake, fasting
in other words, the energy used in metabolic processes just to keep you alive
Food molecules absorbed by the GI tract have 3 main fates:
- to supply energy for sustaining life processes
- to serve as building blocks for the synthesis of more complex molecules
- storage for future use
What are nutrients?
chemical substances in food that body cells use for growth, maintenance, and repair
What are the 6 main types of nutrients
carbohydrates lipids proteins water minerals vitamins
What are essential nutrients?
specific nutrient molecules that the body cannot make and must be obtained from the diet
include: vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids
What are the 2 essential fatty acids?
Linoleic acid (LA) a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid
Alpha linoleic acid (ALA) a polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid
