Unit Two: The Chemistry of Living Things

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering macromolecules, enzymatic reactions, dietary trends, sugar substitutes, and modern health correlations from the Unit Two Review notes.

Carbohydrate

A carbon-based macromolecule (exemplified by pasta) that digests into glucose/monosaccharides and functions in cell repair from sickness or injury, as well as growth and development.

Glucose

A monosaccharide that serves as the monomer for carbohydrates and is the primary macronutrient used first for energy in the human body.

Lipids

Macromolecules (exemplified by cheese) broken down into fatty acids; they function in energy storage, making up cell membranes, and synthesizing hormones.

Fatty Acid

The monomer unit that makes up fats and lipids.

Protein

A macromolecule (exemplified by burgers) broken down into amino acids during digestion and reassembled into enzymes, hemoglobin, and structures like hair and muscles.

Amino Acids

The repeating monomer units that make up proteins, which are reassembled back into various proteins throughout the body after digestion.

Polymer

A macromolecular chain composed of monomers joined together.

English Channel Swim Energy Adaptation

The physical requirement of gaining $16\text{ pounds}$ of fat so the body can switch to burning lipids after glucose is depleted; the swimmer burned $14\text{ lb}$ of the $16\text{ lb}$ gained during the crossing.

Soy and Corn

The two agricultural crops that are present in $90\text{\%}$ of American foods.

Caloric Sugars

A category of sweeteners containing standard calories, exemplified by honey, maple syrup, and pure cane sugar.

Low Calorie Sugars

A category of sweeteners providing reduced caloric value, exemplified by erythritol (plant-based).

Zero Calorie Sweeteners

Intensely sweet sugar substitutes that provide no calories because they are not recognized by the body as food; examples include sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and saccharin.

Monosaccharide vs. Polysaccharide

Monosaccharides are simple single sugar molecules, whereas polysaccharides are complex macromolecules composed of many monosaccharide units joined together.

Sweeteners in Marshmello's Limited Edition Coca-Cola Zero Sugar

The specific artificial sugar substitutes used in the beverage: Aspartame and Acesulfame Potassium.

Multiple Sweetener Blend in Energy Drinks

The formulation practice of combining multiple zero- or low-calorie sweeteners to mask the bitter aftertaste produced by caffeine.

50-Year Agricultural Changes in Chickens

Three historical shifts: chickens are almost two times as big, contain far more breast meat, and are raised in large indoor facilities in half the time required $50\text{ years}$ ago.

Enzymes

Specialized proteins that act as biological catalysts to speed up chemical reactions in the human body.

Environmental Factors Affecting Enzyme Rates

Temperature and pH; if either factor becomes too high or too low, reaction rates slow down.

McDonald's Meat Supply Influence

The dominant market control over how meat is processed in America resulting from the company being the largest purchaser of meat in the world.

Annual US Meat Consumption Rate

An average intake of $200\text{ lbs}$ of meat per person per year, made possible by the large-scale production of cheap corn fed to cows.

Saturated Fatty Acid

A lipid molecule (such as stearic acid) whose carbon chain tail contains no double bonds.

Unsaturated Fatty Acid

A lipid molecule (such as oleic acid) whose carbon chain tail contains one or more double bonds.

US Meat Consumption Shift

A historical dietary trend showing that beef consumption has declined and pork consumption has remained stable, while chicken consumption has risen above beef for the first time in $100\text{ years}$.

US Obesity Trends (Last 50 Years)

Epidemiological data showing that American obesity prevalence has nearly tripled among adults and quadrupled among children despite decreases in red meat and caloric sugar consumption.

Inference on Rising US Obesity and Sweeteners

The hypothesis that increases in obesity correlate with the steady rise in chicken consumption and the dramatic increase in zero-calorie sweeteners as traditional sugar intake has declined.

US vs. China Sugar and Diabetes Trends

Observations showing that diabetes rates are rising in the US despite flat sugar intake over $30\text{ years}$, and diabetes is increasing even faster in China despite much lower, stable sugar intake, suggesting factors like zero-calorie sweeteners may drive diabetes.