Unit 5 - Nutrients and Metabolism Flashcards
What are nutrients?
Substances derived from food used to
carry out normal body functions
What are the 6 categories of nutrients?
water
carbohydrates
lipids
proteins
vitamins
minerals
Describe the three types of nutrients
Energy-producing
carbohydrates, fats, proteins
Non-energy-producing
water, vitamins, minerals
Essential
Those an animal cannot
manufacture
Must obtain from diet
What is taurine? What happens when a cat does not get it?
Taurine is an organic compound found in meat n fish. Does not exist in plants.
Cats cannot make taurine so a veggie diet can cause taurine deficiency
which can cause retinal degeneration, dilated cardiomyopathy and decreased reproductive success
How can you obtain water? 4
ingesting food and drinks
oxidizing proteins, fats, and carbs
Describe the nutrient glucose
Monosaccaride - simplest and smallest dietary carbohydrate
- Makes ATP thru glycolysis
- Excess is converted to glycogen or stored in liver OR converted to fat and stored in adipose tissue
Describe saturated fatty acids
Single bonds b/w C atoms
Can accomodate the greatest # of H+ atoms
Has long chains
found in meat and dairy foods
Describe unsaturated fatty acids
One or more double bonded between C atoms
Accomodates fewer H+ atoms
Liquid @ rm temp
Give an example of monounsaturated fats. 2
olive and peanut oils
Give an example of polyunsaturated fats. 3
corn, soybean, safflower oils
Can essential fatty acids be synthesized? list 3 examples of essential fatty acids
cannot be synthesized
linoleic acid
linolenic acid
arachidonic acid
Describe neutral fats. What fat-soluble vitamens do they help the body absorb?
Contain over twice as much potential energy by weight as proteins or carbs
make food taste good + stave off hunger
help body absorb vitamin A, D, E, K
important insulator, when stored
Protect + cushion vital organs
Major energy source for hepatocytes and skeletal muscle cells
rebuilt by liver - forming diff kinds of triglycerides
What is the all or none rule for protein
All the needed amino acids MUST be present in the cell. This counts for essential and non-essential amino acids.
There must be a sufficient quantity and present at the same time
What are essential amino acids
Animal cannot make them at all or not fast enough to meet body’s needs for tissue maintenance and growth
must be present in diet
What are complete proteins? give 3 examples
food products that contain all the
essential amino acids for a species
EX meat, eggs, dairy
What are complement proteins? Give 2 examples of it
food products, when ingested together,
contain all the essential amino acids for
a species
EX Legumes and grains
Can amino acids be stored? What happens if they can’t be?
Cannot be stored
If not used immediately, they are oxidized by cell to make energy or converted to carbs or fats
What is the nitrogen balance?
rate of protein synthesis equals rate of
protein breakdown and loss
Nitrogen from protein breakdown is
packaged by liver into urea before it
is excreted by the kidney
Urea can be measured by blood urea
nitrogen (BUN) test
Describe the positive nitrogen balance. What does it help with?
body incorporates more protein into
tissue than it is using to make energy
(ATP)
healing, pregnancy, animal growth
Describe the negative nitrogen balance. What does it cause?
protein breakdown exceeds amount of
protein being incorporated into tissue
stress, infection, starvation, poor
dietary protein
What is the ideal protein content in foods
Includes all essential amino acids
needed by a species to meet its
metabolic requirements
What is the biological value?
percentage of absorbable protein
available for body functions
not same as protein content
Protein quality improved if feeds not
overprocessed or overheated in storage
Describe ruminent digestion of protein. How does it work?
Facilitated by microbes
Microbial-made protein has consistent
quality regardless of the source
protein in lower-quality feed is
improved by microbial metabolism
Rumen has ability to convert non-
protein sources of nitrogen into
protein
List three energy producing nutrient groups
Fats, carbs, proteins
Describe vitamins. What do they function as? Give an example of their function
- essential for life
- do not produce energy when metabolize and are not broken down into building block units
Func as co-enzymes or part of co-enzymes
molecular structure is key to activate an enzyme
EX. riboflavin and viacin req for breakdown of glucose
What are the vitamins made in the body? 3
D - made in skin
K and biotin - made by bacteria in intestine
A - made by conversion of beta carotene
Describe water soluble vitamins
- Absorbed through GI wall when water is absorbed
- very few stored in body
Hypervitaminosis conditions are rare - excesses are excreted in urin
groups include:
Vita C
8 or B-complex vitamins (except b12)
Describe fat soluble vitamins
Binds to ingested lipis b4 they are absorbed with ingesta
stored in body (except vita K) - possible toxicity to hypervitaminosis
group includes: vita A, D, E and K
What are free radicals?
Potentially harmful to body
Generated when carbohydrates,
proteins, and lipids are oxidized as
part of normal metabolism
Disarmed by antioxidants
Vitamins A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E
What are minerals? What 3 classes of minerals are there?
Inorganic substances essential for life
Non-energy producing
Work with other nutrients to ensure
normal body function
3 classes depending on how much is
required by body
macrominerals
microminerals
trace elements
Are minerals energy producing?
no
What is a chemical reaction? What are the 4 types?
Chemical reactions involve the
formation and breaking of chemical
bonds
Redox
Synthesis
Decomposition
Exchange
What is a redox reaction?
an electron that is removed during the oxidation of an atom or molecule must be transferred to another atom or
molecule, which is reduced
What is oxidation in redox?
To combine with oxygen
To lose hydrogen
To lose electrons
What is reduction in redox?
To lose oxygen
To combine with hydrogen
To gain electrons
What is synthesis? What is an example of it? How does it occur?
Smler molecules are bonded together to form lgr more complex molecules
EX. Amino acids joined to form protein molecule
Occur in body as anabolic process
What is decomposition in reactions? Give an example and where it occurs
bonds in lgr molecules broken down to smler less complex molecules
Ex. Glycogen broken down to glucose
occur in body as catabolic process
Explain exchange in chemical reactions. Give an example
Bonds are broken and made
EX. ATP transfers a phosphate to glucose to make glucose-phosphate
What factors influence reaction rates?
- Concen. of reactants
- temp of environment
-activation energy
-presence of a catalyst
