1. DH 135 LO1: Nutrition as the foundation of health

What is Nutrition?

The process by which living things use food to obtain nutrients for energy, growth & development, and maintenance.

What is Energy?

The ability or power to do work.

What are Nutrients?

Biochemical substances that can be supplied only in adequate amounts from an outside source (food).

What is a Calorie?

A unit of measurement that measures energy obtained from food.

What is Metabolism?

The production and use of energy (calories), extracted from carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids to create biomolecules essential for life.

What is Mastication?

The process of chewing or grinding food with teeth into smaller, digestible pieces.

What is an Essential Nutrient?

The body does not make this on its own and it must be obtained from an outside food source.

What is a Nonessential Nutrient?

The body can produce this nutrient on its own and it does not need to be obtained through diet.

Give an example of an Essential Nutrient.

Omega 3 fatty acids.

Give an example of a Nonessential Nutrient.

Vitamin A.

List the six naturally occurring nutrients found in various foods.

1. Water

2. Proteins

3. Carbohydrates (carbs)

4. Fats (lipids)

5. Minerals

6. Vitamins.

What is a Macronutrient?

Provides energy to the body and is needed in larger amounts.

List the three types of Macronutrients that provide energy.

Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids.

What is a Micronutrient?

• does not provide the body with energy

• is needed in small amounts

• is required to help absorb macronutrients (the body cannot use energy from MACROnutrients without adequate amounts of vitamins & minerals)

List the two types of Micronutrients.

Vitamins, minerals.

Which nutrient is considered the most important, despite not providing energy, because it is needed in large amounts and is essential for all bodily functions?

Water.

What is Anosmia?

Loss of smell.

What is Dysguesia?

Altered or distorted taste.

What is Hypogeusia?

Loss of taste.

What is Hyperguesia?

Abnormally heightened taste.

What is Catabolism?

The splitting of complex substances into simpler substances (break-down)

What is Anabolism?

Using absorbed nutrients to build or synthesize more complex compounds (build-up)

What is a coenzyme?

An enzyme that needs a vitamin/s to be activated.

What is a cofactor?

An enzyme that needs a mineral or electrolyte to be present to be activated.

What is the function of the Liver in metabolism?

It regulates the type and quantity of nutrients in the bloodstream including glucose, and it detoxifies foreign/harmful substances.

What is Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)?

The energy required to sustain life while at rest, accounting for 70% of daily expenditure, covering involuntary physiological functions like respiration, circulation, and body temperature.

What is a Monosaccharide?

A simple sugar containing 2-6 carbon atoms.

What is a Disaccharide?

A sugar composed of 2 monosaccharides, containing up to 12 carbon atoms.

What is a Polysaccharide?

A complex sugar that contains a minimum of 10 simple sugars (monosaccharides).

List the three types of Monosaccharides.

Glucose, Fructose, Galactose.

What simple sugars form Sucrose (granulated table sugar)?

Glucose + fructose.

What simple sugars form Lactose (milk sugar)?

Galactose + glucose.

What simple sugars form Maltose (malt sugar)?

Glucose + glucose.

What are the two major benefits of Dietary Fibre?

Helps speed transit time of "residue" through the body

Why are simple sugars generally limited in a healthy diet?

They cause a spike in blood sugar and are cariogenic (cause cavities).

Where are carbohydrates stored as glycogen, and what happens to the excess?

They are stored as glycogen, then converted to fat (lipogenesis).

What is the chemical makeup of protein?

Carbon + hydrogen + oxygen + nitrogen.

What is the primary role of protein in the body?

It is the building block of all structural components of the body, including muscle tissue, connective tissue, hormones, and enzymes.

When does the body primarily use protein for energy?

When caloric intake from carbohydrates and lipids are low.

How many amino acids are required for human health, and how many of those are indispensable (required from the diet)?

20 amino acids are required for health

Indispensible - required from diet (9)

Dispensible - essential for life but can be synthesized by the body

What is a "complete protein" (high-quality protein)?

A food with all 9 indispensable amino acids.

List three examples of complete proteins.

Meats, poultry, eggs, and seafood.

Are proteins cariogenic or non-cariogenic?

Non-cariogenic

What is the most common fat in the body, composed of fatty acids and glycerol?

Triglycerides.

What is the role of Lipoproteins?

They transport insoluble fats in the blood.

Which type of cholesterol is considered "good" and protective of heart health?

High Density Lipoproteins (HDL).

Which type of cholesterol is considered "bad" because it can form plaque that narrows arteries (atherosclerosis)?

Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL).

Give three examples of Monounsaturated fats.

Nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, canola oil.

What is the role of fats regarding fat-soluble vitamins?

Complementary Relationships

Why are fats regarded as cariostatic?

They can stop dental caries from forming by having a high pH, reducing demineralization, and inhibiting S. mutans bacteria.

Which nutrients must be digested (broken down) before absorption, and which can be absorbed as eaten?

Macronutrients must be digested

Where are most energy-providing nutrients, vitamins, and minerals completely hydrolyzed and absorbed?

The small intestine.

What is Enrichment?

The process that restores lost nutrients back into the food to approximate original levels.

What is Fortification?

The process of adding in nutrients not natural to the product.

What is a Refined Grain?

A grain that is no longer "whole," missing either the bran, germ or endosperm.

List three substances often added to processed foods to preserve them or improve palatability.

Sodium, sugar, and/or saturated fats.

When did nutrition labeling become mandatory in Canada for all prepackaged foods?

2007.

How many core nutrients are required to be listed on a Nutrition Facts Panel in Canada?

13.

List the three main Food Groups recommended by Canada’s Food Guide and their approximate plate percentages.

50% Vegetables & Fruit, 25% Protein, 25% Whole Grains.

What is the recommended drink of choice according to Canada's Food Guide?

Water.

What is the minimum physical activity recommendation for adults and seniors per week (moderate to vigorous)?

150 minutes (2-3 hours) per week.

What are 5 benefits of knowing of nutrition as a dental hygienist?

• Primary health care providers

• Collaborative care

• Bidirectional relationship between oral health > nutrition

• Basic dietary education for patients

• Referrals to other professionals

How does nutrition integrate the physiologic and biochemical reactions within the body?

1. Digesting foods to make nutrients available

2. Absorbing and delivering nutrients to cells

3. Eliminating waste

What are functions of nutrients?

• Food eaten are used for energy

• Tissue building

• Maintenance & replacement

• Obtaining/producing regulatory substance 

Vitamins, minerals, protein, and water are essential for what?

Essential for the body to build and maintain body tissues and regulate bodily processes

What is vital for transporting nutrients to cells, as a digestive aid, and for moving waste out of the body?

Water

What are 3 dental considerations for nutrition?

1. Changes in the oral cavity can affect systemic health & nutrition

2. Nutritional conditions or their treatments can affect the oral cavity or feasibility of providing dental care

3. Nutritional intake can improve or adversely affect health

What are differences between essential and nonessential nutrients?

Essential Nutrient:

• body cannot make these nutrients on its own

• ESSENTIAL to obtain from an outside source

  • e.g omega-3 fatty acids

Nonessential Nutrient:

• body is capable of making these itself

  • e.g. vitamin A