BIO103: Human Nutrition Overview

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Questions and Answers

What are the three categories of animals based on their diet?

Herbivores, Carnivores, and Omnivores

What are the three main components that an animal's diet must provide?

Chemical energy, Organic building blocks, and Essential nutrients

How many amino acids can animals synthesize from molecules in their diet?

About half of the 20 amino acids

What type of proteins are meat, eggs, and cheese?

Complete proteins Signup and view all the answers

Why is it necessary for individuals who eat only plant proteins to eat specific plant combinations?

To get all the essential amino acids Signup and view all the answers

What are the two fatty acids known to be essential for humans?

Linolenic acid and Linoleic acid Signup and view all the answers

What is the characteristic of essential fatty acids?

They are unsaturated fatty acids with one or more double bonds Signup and view all the answers

What are the four classes of essential nutrients that must be obtained from the diet?

Essential amino acids, Essential fatty acids, Vitamins, and Minerals Signup and view all the answers

What are the two categories of vitamins?

Fat-soluble and water-soluble Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)?

To provide the estimated amount of a nutrient necessary for the maintenance of good health Signup and view all the answers

What is malnourishment?

The long-term absence from the diet of one or more essential nutrients Signup and view all the answers

What happens to an undernourished individual?

They will use up stored fat and carbohydrates, break down their own proteins, lose muscle mass, suffer protein deficiency of the brain, and potentially die or suffer irreversible damage Signup and view all the answers

What is the Global Hunger Index (GHI) used for?

To calculate the percentage of the population that is undernourished and the percentage of underweight children Signup and view all the answers

How often is the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) updated?

Periodically Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of a diet that lacks essential nutrients?

Deficiencies can cause deformities, disease, and death Signup and view all the answers

Why are minerals required in small amounts?

To maintain homeostatic balance Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Human Nutrition

Food is taken in, taken apart, and taken up in the process of animal nutrition, which involves three categories: herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.
An animal's diet must provide chemical energy, organic building blocks, and essential nutrients.
There are four classes of essential nutrients that must be obtained from the diet: essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.

Essential Amino Acids

Animals require 20 amino acids, and can synthesize about half from molecules in their diet.
The remaining amino acids, essential amino acids, must be obtained from food.
Meat, eggs, and cheese are complete proteins, providing all essential amino acids.
Most plant proteins are incomplete in amino acid composition, requiring specific combinations to get all essential amino acids.

Essential Fatty Acids

Animals can synthesize most of the fatty acids they need, but essential fatty acids must be obtained from the diet.
Two fatty acids are essential for humans: linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid).
Deficiencies in fatty acids are rare.

Vitamins

Vitamins are organic molecules required in the diet in small amounts.
Thirteen vitamins are essential for humans, grouped into two categories: fat-soluble and water-soluble.

Minerals

Minerals are simple inorganic nutrients, usually required in small amounts.
Ingesting large amounts of some minerals can upset homeostatic balance.

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

RDA is the estimated amount of a nutrient (or calories) per day considered necessary for the maintenance of good health.
The RDA is updated periodically to reflect new knowledge.
RDA for different nutrients varies for infants, children, pregnant and lactating women, and adults.

Dietary Deficiencies

Malnourishment is the long-term absence from the diet of one or more essential nutrients.
Deficiencies in essential nutrients can cause deformities, disease, and death.
Undernutrition results when a diet does not provide enough chemical energy, leading to stored fat and carbohydrate depletion, protein breakdown, and irreversible damage.