Chapter 4 – Nutrition, Enzymes, and Metabolism

·  Malnutrition: A condition resulting from an imbalanced diet lacking essential nutrients.

·  Energy: The capacity to perform work or fuel biological processes.

·  Nutrients: Substances required by the body for growth, energy, and cellular function.

·  Macronutrients: Nutrients required in large amounts (e.g., carbohydrates, proteins, fats).

·  Micronutrients: Nutrients needed in small amounts (e.g., vitamins, minerals).

·  Essential nutrients: Nutrients that must be obtained from the diet.

·  Essential amino acids: Amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the body and must be ingested.

·  Digestion: The breakdown of food into smaller molecules for absorption.

·  Chemical reaction: A process that transforms substances into different compounds.

·  Catabolic reaction: Breakdown of molecules to release energy.

·  Anabolic reaction: Building up of complex molecules from simpler ones.

·  Metabolism: Sum of all chemical reactions in the body.

·  Enzyme: A protein that accelerates biochemical reactions.

·  Active site: The region on an enzyme where substrates bind.

·  Substrate: The molecule upon which an enzyme acts.

·  Activation energy: Energy needed to initiate a chemical reaction.

·  Minerals: Inorganic substances needed for various cellular processes.

·  Vitamins: Organic compounds that support biochemical functions.

·  Cofactor: Non-protein molecule required by an enzyme for activity.

·  Coenzyme: Organic cofactor aiding enzyme function.

·  Malnutrition is always associated with starvation: False.

·  Number one killer of children globally: Malnutrition; most deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa due to poverty and limited access to food.

·  Macronutrient examples and functions:

• Carbohydrates: Primary energy source.

• Proteins: Support growth, repair, and enzyme function.

• Fats: Store energy, support cell structure, and regulate body functions.

·  Food access in the U.S.: Primarily due to poverty.

·  Well-balanced diet components: Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.

·  Animal vs. plant products (protein/carbohydrates): True.

·  Macronutrients broken down by digestion: To convert them into absorbable subunits for energy and cell functions.

·  Nucleic acids not macronutrients: Needed in much smaller quantities compared to macronutrients.

·  Digestion subunits:

• Carbohydrates: Simple sugars.

• Proteins: Amino acids.

• Lipids: Fatty acids and glycerol.

• Nucleic acids: Nucleotides.

·  Essential amino acids: 9.

·  Complete foods: Foods containing all essential nutrients required by the body.

·  Peanut Butter Project purpose: To provide a high-nutrient, easy-to-distribute treatment for malnutrition.

·  Peanut butter in malnutrition treatment: Rich in protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals; requires no refrigeration.

·  "If you eat RUTF, you don’t need to eat anything else": True.

·  Enzymes in reactions: False; enzymes are involved in both catabolic and anabolic reactions.

·  Properties of enzymes: Specificity to substrates, reusable, and efficient in lowering activation energy.

·  Reactions without enzymes: False; reactions can still occur but much more slowly.

·  Activation energy with enzymes: Enzymes reduce activation energy.

·  Enzymes add energy to reactions: False; they only lower the activation energy.

·  Enzyme-substrate complex formation: When a substrate binds to an enzyme's active site.

·  Induced fit model: The enzyme changes shape slightly to fit the substrate more precisely.

·  Enzymes mostly protein: True.

·  Enzymes permanently changed: False; enzymes are not consumed or permanently altered in reactions.

·  Micronutrient functions and “hidden hunger”:

• Micronutrients support immune function, growth, and development.

• Hidden hunger refers to micronutrient deficiencies without obvious signs.

·  Examples of minerals, vitamins, cofactors, coenzymes:

• Minerals: Iron (oxygen transport), calcium (bone health).

• Vitamins: Vitamin C (immune support), Vitamin D (bone health).

• Cofactor: Zinc (supports enzyme function).

• Coenzyme: NAD+ (helps in energy production).

·  Goiter deficiency: Iodine.