Topic 3 - Nutrition & Digestion Flashcards
What proportion of society is considered overweight?
Over 1/3 of adults and nearly 1/3 of children
Simplified, what causes obesity?
Too much energy-rich food and too sedentary a lifestyle
What are the possible neurological effects of excessive fat storage?
- Headache
- Stroke
- Dementia, inc. Alzheimer’s
- Vision loss from diabetic complications
- False brain tumour (pseudo tumour cerebri)
- Diabetic neuropathy (weak/numbness)
What are the possible respiratory effects of excessive fat storage?
- Asthma
- Sleep apnoea
- Pulmonary embolism (blockage of the main artery of the lung)
- Pulmonary hypertension (increased blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs)
What are the possible urological effects of excessive fat storage?
- Diabetes
* Kidney cancer
What are the possible circulatory effects of excessive fat storage?
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Atherosclerosis (fatty deposits in the arteries)
- Irregular heartbeat
- Heart attack/failure
- Poor circulation
- Leg/ankle swelling
- Peripheral artery disease (buildup of plaque in arteries)
- Certain lymphomas
What are the possible psychological effects of excessive fat storage?
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Eating disorders
What are the possible gastrointestinal effects of excessive fat storage?
- GERD
- Oesophageal cancer
- Colon polyps
- Fatty liver disease
- Cirrhosis (disease of the liver)
- Liver cancer
- Gallstones
- Gallbladder cancer
What are the possible pancreatic effects of excessive fat storage?
- Type 2 diabetes
- Pancreatitis
- Pancreatic cancer
What are the possible nutritional effects of excessive fat storage?
- Vitamin D deficiency
* Other vitamin/mineral deficiencies
What are the possible female reproductive effects of excessive fat storage?
- Irregular periods
- Infertility
- PCOS
- Ovarian/Endometrial/Cervical/Breast cancer
What are the possible male reproductive effects of excessive fat storage?
- Prostate cancer
- Infertility
- Erectile dysfunction
What is adipose tissue?
Body fat - specialised connective tissue made of lipid-rich cells called adipocytes
What does the term ‘lean body mass’ refer to?
All body organs (eg bone, muscle, lungs) which do not store fat
What are the two types of adipose tissue?
- White adipose tissue
* Brown adipose tissue
What is white adipose (WAT) tissue?
- The most common type of adipose tissue found in the body
* Stores energy as fat
What is brown adipose (BAT) tissue?
Tissue whose primary function is thermoregulation
What is the function of brown adipose tissue?
To produce body heat from the energy which comes from the food we consume
What is the function of white adipose tissue?
Its main function is insulation and energy storage
Where is brown adipose tissue typically stored?
- The neck
* Around the large blood vessels of the thorax
What are adipocytes?
Cells which are specialised in the synthesis and storage of fat
We need some white adipose tissue (WAT), but what for?
Cushioning, insulating and protecting organs and bones in the body
What are the factors which likely affect a person’s volume of adipose tissue (adiposity)?
- Genetics
- Age
- Sex
- Physical activity
- Diet
Where do men tend to carry their excess fat?
Abdomen
Where do women tend to carry their excess fat?
- Thighs
* Hips
After what age do people tend to lose fat and lean body mass?
70
How does the WHO recommend assessing an individual’s adiposity?
By using their waist-to-hip ratio in combination with their BMI
What are the two factors that make up an individual’s TEE (total energy expenditure)?
- The total energy required to carry out basic processes of life (eg heartbeat, breathing)
- The total energy required for other tasks such as brain activity
What is the definition of BMR?
The number of calories your body uses to maintain vital functions, such as breathing, heart rate, and brain function
How would you be in a state of energy balance?
If your total energy intake (TEI) exactly matches your total energy expenditure (TEE)
How would you be in a state of positive energy balance?
If your total energy intake (TEI) is greater than your total energy expenditure (TEE)
How would you be in a state of negative energy balance?
If total energy intake (TEI) is less than total energy expenditure (TEE)
Is obesity caused by a positive or negative energy balance?
A positive energy balance
What is catabolism?
The breaking down of complex substances in to simpler ones, with the release of energy
Are catabolic reactions exergonic or endergonic?
Exergonic
Define exergonic
A reaction which relases or generates more energy than it uses
Define endergonic
Reactions which use more energy than they release
What is anabolism?
The process by which the body utilizes the energy released by catabolism to synthesize complex molecules
In which part of the cell is ATP made?
The cytosol
What is glycolisis?
The process that combines sugars and glycerol to produce ATP
What is the TCA (tricarboxylic acid) cycle?
A series of metabolic reactons that occur in the mitochrondria producing ATP
By what other term is the TCA cycle known?
Aerobic respiration
What are the waste products of the TCA cycle?
- Water
* Carbon dixoide
Which is more efficient: anaerobic or aerobic respiration?
Aerobic
How many more times more ATP than anaerobic respiration does aerobic respiration produce?
15 times
During periods of heavy exercise, what is the main source of ATP, glycolysis or aerobic respiration?
Glycolysis
What is de novo lipogenisis?
The process which converts glucose and some amino acids in to fat
What are the six key nutrient groups?
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
- Proteins
- Minerals
- Vitamins
- Water
Which nutritional group is important to assist with the maintenance of ionic gradients?
Minerals
What is the definition of the term macronutrients?
The nutrients required in large amounts in the diet, i.e. carbohydrates, fats and protein
What is the definition of the term micronutrients?
Nutrients that are needed in only very small quantities by the body
What is the definition of the term antioxidants?
Molecules, including certain vitamins, that can inactivate harmful free radicals
What proportion of your energy intake does the WHO recommend to come from carbohydrates?
55-75%
What proportion of your energy intake does the WHO recommend to come from fats?
Less than 30%
What proportion of your energy intake does the WHO recommend to come from proteins?
10-15%
What are some of the main roles of iron within the body?
What can arise from deficiency in this?
- Transport of oxygen in the blood
* Anaemia, the reduction of the capacity to transport oxygen
What are some of the main roles of zinc within the body?
What can arise from deficiency in this?
- Regulation of several biochemical pathways
- Stunt growth in children
- Reduce effectiveness of immune system
What are some of the main roles of folate within the body?
What can arise from deficiency in this?
Fetal development
Neural tube defects
What are some of the main roles of vitamin A within the body?
What can arise from deficiency in this?
- Development and maintenance of immune and visual systems
- Blindness
- Susceptibility to infection
What are some of the main roles of vitamin C within the body?
What can arise from deficiency in this?
- Facilitates absorption of iron in the gut
- Involved in several enzymatic pathways, inc. collagen synthesis
- Scurvy due to breakdown and poor maintenance of connective tissues containing collagen
Which of the following types of carbohydrate has the simplest structure?
Polysaccharaide
Monosaccharide
Disaccharadie
Monosaccharide
What do polysaccharaides consist of?
Linear or branched chains of sugars joined together
Which sugars are polysaccharides?
- Starch
- Cellulose
- Glycogen
Name the two monosaccharides
- Glucose
* Fructose
Which sugar is a disaccharide?
Sucrose
What percentage of body mass do lipids account for?
Roughly 18-25%
What functions can lipids perform?
- Structural components of cell membranes
- Signalling molecules
- Long-term energy storage
Which of the following is the simplest form of lipid?
Fatty acids
Triglycerides
Phosopholipids
Steroids
Fatty acids
What is the typical cellular structure of steroids?
Multiple carbon rings
Is a fatty acid with one or more carbon-to-carbon covalent bonds in its tail a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid?
Unsaturated
What are the functions of lipids?
- Protection
- Insulation & thermoregulation
- Formation of the plasma membrane
- ATP synthesis
What are the components of a the basic structure of an amino acid?
- Hydrogen group
- Amine group
- Carboxyl group
- R group