INTRODUCTION TO NUTRITION

AIR WATER

Day-to-day activities
Nourishing substances
Keep all the system in our to build and repair tissues
body functioning well
WELL-BEING to regulate various functions

Energy

FOOD
Food is a basic need of humans
 CHAPTER 1.

INTRODUCTION TO NUTRITION
 CHAPTER 1. - LEARNING OBJECTIVES

You should be able to:

1. Understand the significance of food in our daily life

2. Define the terms food, nutrition, health, malnutrition, and nutrition

status

3. Classify the various nutrients into six major categories

4. Understand the relationship good nutrition and health

5. Appreciate the need for recommended dietary allowances

I. FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS OF NUTRITION
 Our body’s ability
The food that we
to use the nutrients Nutrition
consume
in the food

Nutrition is the study of foods, their nutrients & other chemical constituents,
& the effects of food constituents on health
 NUTRITION
1. Science of nourishing the body
- study of foods, their nutrients and other chemical constituents
• their characteristics,
• functions,
• requirements,
• sources
2. Effects of food constituents on health

Nutrition affects many dimensions of health & can generally be modified to

improve health outcomes
 FOOD

ANY SUBSTANCE WHICH NOURISHES THE BODY AND IS FIT TO EAT.

IT MAY BE SOLID OR LIQUID

FOOD provides materials for:

energy,
growth and maintenance,
regulating various process in the body.
These materials are termed nutrients

Different foods contain different amounts of nutrients. Some foods contain only
one nutrient (sugar)
 NUTRIENTS

CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES PRESENT IN FOOD, WHICH THE BODY

NEEDS TO CARRY OUT ITS FUNCTIONS

Substance in foods used by the body to serve one or more of the

following purposes:
Provide a source of energy
Provide structure
Regulate chemical reactions in the body

Six groups of nutrients are of importance in

nutrition:
1. Proteins
2. Carbohydrates
3. Fats
4. Vitamins
5. Minerals
6. Water

Each group has several nutrients in it, and each nutrient has specific functions in
the body.
2. DIET:
Kinds and amount of food and beverage consumed every day
- normal diet
- modified diet (used in the treatment of specific disease

KILOCALORIE (kcal)
Unit for measuring the energy value of foods or the energy needs of the body.

Amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1,000g water by 1oC

II. RELATION OF FOOD AND HEALTH
MALNUTRITION
Malnutrition (mal means faulty): an impairment of health resulting from a
deficiency, excess, or imbalance of nutrients in the diet:
- undernutrition or deficiency
- overnutrition or excessive consumption

Undernutrition: deficiency of calories and/or one or more nutrients in

the diet. An undernourished person is underweight.

Overnutrition: excess of calories and/or one or more nutrients in the

diet. An excessive intake of calories results in overweight which can lead
to obesity
Poor nutrition can result from both inadequate and excessive levels
of nutrient intake.
- Prolonged inadequate intake results in obvious deficiencies.
- Overdoses of nutrients (usually by supplements) result in mild
to severe alterations in functioning.

OPTIMUM NUTRITION Health, well-being,

Adequate, balanced diets normal development

• Affecting physical and mental

UNDER NUTRITION
development
Food/nutritents deficinecy
• Increasing infectious didseases

OVER NUTRITION • Chronic diseases: obesity,

Food overconsumption & cardiovascular diseases, type 2
Sedentary activity diabeties…
 DEFICIENCY EXCESSIVE

Inadequate nutrient intake Excessive nutrient intake

Depletion of tissue Saturation of tissue

reserves of the nutrient reserves of the nutrient

Decreased blood nutrient Increased blood nutrient

level level

Insufficient nutrient Excessive nutrient

available to cells available to cells

Impaired cellular functions Impaired cellular functions

Physical signs and Physical signs and

symptoms of deficientcy symptoms of deficientcy

Long-term impairment of Long-term impairment of

health health
• Malnutrition can result from poor diets and from disease states,
genetic factors, or combinations of these causes.
- primary malnutrition: dietary in origin
- secondary malnutrition: by a disease state, surgical procedure, or
medication

• Some groups of people are at higher risk of becoming inadequately

nourished than others.
pregnant/breastfeeding women, infants, children, people who are ill,
frail elderly persons
• Healthy individuals require the same nutrients across the lifecyle
but in differing amounts

• Poor nutrition can influence the development of certain chronic

diseases: heart disease, hypertension, cancer, stroke,
osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, obesity
• Adequacy and balance are key characteristics of a healthy diet.
variety
nutrient density
“empty-calorie” foods

There are no “good” or “bad” foods.

As Hippocrates expressed it, “All things in nutriment are good
or bad relatively.”
- Nutrient-Dense Foods: contain high amounts of nutrients to
calories
- Empty-Calorie Foods: contain low amounts of nutrients to
calories
PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN NUTRITION

1. Food is basic need of humans

2. Foods provide energy, nutrients and other substances needed for

growth and health

3. Poor nutrition can result from both inadequate and excessive

levels of nutrient intake

4. Malnutrition can result from poor diets, from disease states,

genetic factors

5. Poor nutrition can influence the development of certain chronic

diseases.

6. Adequacy and balance are key characteristics of healthy diet

7. There are no “good” or “bad” food

III. FOOD AND ITS FUNCTION
 CLASSIFICATION OF NUTRIENTS
There are approximately fifty nutrients which are placed in six categories

Based on their requirement in the body: two major groups

Macronutrients) Micronutrients

• Water • Vitamins
• Carbohydrates • Minerals
• Proteins
• Fats

Required in Required in
large amounts minute
amounts

Both macronutrients and micronutrients are equally important for good health
The requirement for macronutrients is in grams
The requirement for micronutrients is in milligrams and micrograms
 FOOD AND ITS FUNCTIONS

Psychological functions Physiological functions Social functions

Providing Body building Maintenance Protective Regulation of

energy or growth or repair function body process

Carbohydrates Proteins Proteins Vitamins Minerals

Fats Minerals Minerals (Proteins) Vitamins
(Protein) water Water Water
(Carbohydrates) (Carbohydrates) Fibers
(Fats) (Fats)
(Vitamins) (Vitamins)
 PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS

1 Providing energy to carry-out voluntary and involuntary work.

- Voluntary activities: we wish to do such as walking, working…

- Involuntary work: all processes which are not under the control of our will:
digestion, respiration, circulation…

Voluntary activities
Involuntary work
2 Body building or growth
Body is made up of millions of cells: New cells are added to existing cells
and cells increase in size

Cells

Tissues
300 Billion
new cells
Organs every day

200 million
Systems per minute

Body
3 Maintenance or repair
Worn out cells are continuously being replaced by new cells
Daily wear and tear of cells need to be maintained
4 Regulation of body processes
Numerous activities in the body: beating of heart, maintenance of
body temperature, excretion of wastes… are controlled and carried
out by specific nutrients

5 Protective function
Keep body cells in a healthy condition to ward off infection
Building up the body’s resistance to disease
 ROLE OF NUTRITION IN DISEASE

Osteoporosis
Diseases in which
Osteoarthritis
nutrition plays some role
Some forms of cancer

Type 2 diabetes
Diseases in which a
Heart disease
strong nutritional
High blood pressure
component
Obesity

Pellagra
Scurvy
Diseases caused by
Iron-deficiency anemia
nutritional deficiencies or
Nutrient toxicities
toxicities
Other vitamin/mineral
deficiencies
IV. DIGESTION – ABSORPTION - METABOLISM
 FOODS EATING

DIGESTION

NUTRIENTS
NUTRIENTS ABSORPTION

Foods are broken down into simpler forms by

mechanical actions: chewing, stomach contractions…
chemical actions: acid, various enzymes
CELLS
METABOLISM
Body absorbs simple compounds:
water, vitamins and minerals can be absorbed directly
carbohydrates, proteins and fats should be broken down
DIGESTIVE TRACT
DIGESTIVE GLANDS
MOUTH

SALIVARY GLAND

OESOPHAGUS

STOMACH
LIVER

SMALL INTESTINE
GALL BLADER

PANCREAS

COLON

RECTUM
ANUS
 DIGESTION OF FOOD

1 MOUTH
food is mechanically broken down by chewing
▪ food is moistened with saliva
▪ cooked carbohydrates are partially broken down into smaller units by ptyalin
(salivary amylase).

2 OESOPHAGUS
No digestion takes place in the oesophagus
3 STOMACH

- Food is mixed with gastric juice

- Gastric juice: hydrochloric acid, enzyme, water
- Contraction of stomach muscles: churn the food into liquid consistency: “chym”
- Acidic nature of gastric juice:
• destroys harmful bacteria which may be present in food
• activates enzyme pepsin
• swells proteins so that enzyme can easily act on them
• aids in the absorption of calcium and iron
4 SMALL INTESTINE
Digestion of proteins, carbohydrates and fats
Bile :
- produced by the liver, stored in the gall bladder and released in the
duodenum
- emulsifies fats so that they can be attacked by enzyme
- highly alkaline → neutralizes the acidic chym → intestinal enzymes can act.

▪ Small intestine secretes enzymes

▪ Pancreas → pancreatic juice → released in the duodenum and completes the

digestion
proteins → amino acids
carbohydrates → monosaccharides
fats → fatty acids + glycerol

Nutrients are absorbed through the walls of small intestine into the bloodstream
5 LARGE INTESTINE
Unabsorbed materials pass into the large intestine
▪ water and digestive juices are reabsorbed giving the intestinal contents a
solid consistency
▪ faeces: fibre, bile salts, cholesterol, mucous, bacteria and broken down cells
 FACTORS THAT AFFECT DIGESTION

Consistency, division, and type of food

Foods that are of liquid consistency are more easily digested than food pieces
(solid and big size)
Food which is chewed well is easily acted on by enzymes

Bacterial action
Normal bacterial flora helps in breaking down food

Chemical factors
strong acids, spices, caffeine… stimulate the flow gastric juice.
fats slow down the flow gastric juice

Psychological factors
anger, fright, bad worry slow down the secretion of gastric juice
sight, smell, and aroma of food increase the secretion of gastric juice

Carbohydrates are digested fastest. A mixture of carbohydrate, protein and fat

gives satiety and remains in the digestive system for a long time.
 METABOLISM)

From the blood stream, nutrients are supplied to all the cells in the body where
each nutrient perform their specific function

- It is oxidized to release energy: catabolism

- It is used in the synthesis of complex substances: anabolism

Catabolism: all chemical reactions in which complex substances are further

broken down to simpler compounds.
Glucose is oxidized to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy

Anabolism: all chemical reactions in which simple substances are used to

synthesize more complex substances
Amino acids are used for specific protein synthesis.
 Glucose:
- oxidized → energy
- stored as glycogen in the liver
- metabolized into fats and stored in adipose tissue

Fatty acids:
- oxidized → energy
- stored as potential energy in adipose tissue

Amino acids:
- used for synthesis of new cells, enzymes, hormones

Minerals and vitamins:

- carry out regulatory functions

The waste products of digestion, absorption, and metabolism are

excreted by the bowels, kidneys, skin, and lungs
 Carbohydrate Fats
Proteins Glucose, fructose, Fatty acids,
Amino acids galactose glycerol

Nitrogen pool Glycogen Glucose-6-phosphate

Lipogenesis

Tissue
protein

Lactic acid Pyruvic acid β-oxidation

NH3 CO2
Acetyl-CoA

Urea 2H+ ADP ADP ADP O2

cycle
Citric acid
Electron transport chain
urea cycle
H2O
2e– ATP ATP ATP
CO2