Option D1 Flashcards
Essentia
What is a nutrient?
A chemical substance found in foods that is used in the human body
What are the 6 classes of nutrients?
Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals and water
What are essential nutrients?
Are those that cannot be synthesized by the body and must be ingested as part of the diet
What is a non-essential nutrient?
Can be made by the body or have a replacement nutrient which serves the same dietary purpose
What is malnutrition?
Health condition caused by a deficiency, imbalance or excess of nutrients in the diet
How is malnutrition caused?
Improper dietary intake of nutrients, inadequate utilization of nutrients by the body
How can the energy content of food be measured?
Burning a sample of known mass and measuring the energy released via calorimetry
What is the equation for calculating the energy content in food?
Energy (joules) = Mass of water (g) × 4.2 (J/gºC) × Temperature increase (ºC)
What are the three most common sources of energy?
Carbohydrates, lipids and fats
Which of carbohydrates, lipids, and fats is most preferentially used as energy source
Carbohydrates are preferentially used as an energy source because they are easier to digest and transport. Lipids can store more energy per gram but are harder to digest and transport. Protein metabolism produces nitrogenous waste products which must be removed from cells
What are amino acids?
Monomeric building blocks from which proteins are constructed
What are essential amino acids?
Cannot be produced by the body and must be present in the diet
What are non-essential amino acids?
Can be produced by the body and are therefore not required as part of the diet
What are conditionally non-essential amino acids?
Can be produced by the body, but at rates lower than certain conditional requirements. They are essential at certain times only
What is phenylketonuria
Is a genetic condition that results in the impaired metabolism of the amino acid phenylalanine