Unit 19 - Nutritional Science

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Macronutrients

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A category of nutrients: including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, that are present in foods in large amounts.

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Carbohydrates

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Chemical compound of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, usually with the hydrogen and oxygen in the right proportions to form water. Common forms are starches, sugars, cellulose, and gums. Carbohydrates are more readily used for energy production than are fats and proteins.

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Glucose

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Principal circulating sugar in the blood and the major energy source of the body.

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Fructose

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Fruit Sugar.

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Galactose

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A sugar of the hexose class that is a constituent of lactose and many polysaccharides.

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Carbohydrate Monosaccharides

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The most basic units of carbohydrates. They are also the simplest form of sugar and are usually colorless, water soluble, crystalline solids.

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Triglycerides

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The storage form of fat made up of three fatty acids and a glycerol group.

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Insulin

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A polypeptide hormone functioning in the regulation of the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, especially the conversion of glucose to glycogen, which lowers the blood glucose level.

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LDL Cholesterol

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A molecule that is a combination of lipid and protein that transports cholesterol from the liver to the tissues of the body. Considered the bad cholesterol.

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Soluble Fiber

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Fiber that dissolves in water and attracts water to form a gel, which slows down digestion.

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Insoluble Fiber

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Fiber that does not dissolve in water.

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Microflora

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Bacteria and microscopic algae and fungi, especially those living in a particular site or habitat.

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Resistant Starch

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Starch and starch degradation products that escape from digestion in the small intestine of healthy individuals.

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Fats

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Organic compounds that are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Fats are a source of energy in foods and are also called lipids.

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Hydrocarbons

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A compound of hydrogen, and carbon, such as any of those that are the chief components of petroleum and natural gas.

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Fatty Acid

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Any of a large group of mono basic acids, especially those found in animal vegetable fats and oils.

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Saturated Fatty Acids

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Fat molecules that have no double bonds between carbon molecules because they are saturated with hydrogen molecules.

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Unsaturated Fatty Acids

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A fat or fatty acid in which there is at least one double bond within the fatty acid chain.

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Monounsaturated Fatty Acids

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A fat or fatty acid in which there is at least one double bond within the fatty acid chain.

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Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

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Fatty acids that contain more than one double bond in their backbone.

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Omega-3 Fatty Acids

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An unsaturated fatty acid of a kind occurring chiefly in fish oils, with three double bonds at particular positions in the hydrocarbon chain.

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Omega-6 Fatty Acids

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A family of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory polyunsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon-carbon double bond in the n-6 position, that is, the sixth bond, counting from the methyl end.

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Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA)

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An essential omega-3 fatty acid found in seeds, nuts, and many common vegetable oils.

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Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)

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An omega-3 fatty acid that is a primary structural component of the human brain, cerebral cortex, skin, sperm, testicles, and retina.

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Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)

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A fatty acid found in fish and fish oils which is believed to lower cholesterol, especially cholesterol found to low density lipoproteins (LDL).

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Proteins

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Any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds that consist of large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids and are an essential part of all living organisms, especially as structural components of body tissues such as muscle, hair, collagen, etc., and as enzymes and antibodies.

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Amino Acids

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The building blocks of protein. There are 24 amino acids, which form countless number of different proteins.

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Peptides

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Any member of a class of compounds of low molecular weight which yield two or more amino acids on hydrolysis. Formed by loss of water from the NH2 and COOH groups of adjacent amino acids, they are known as di-, try-, tetra- (etc.) peptides, depending on the number of amino acids in the molecule. Peptides ("polypeptides") form the constituent parts of proteins.

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Peptide Chain (Polypeptide Chain)

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A chain of amino acids joined together through peptide bonds.

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Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)

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The amino acids L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine - which have a particular molecular structure that gives them their name - comprised 35 percent of muscle tissue. The BCAAs, particularly L-leucine, help increase work capacity by stimulating production of insulin, the hormone that opens muscle cells to glucose. BCAAs are burned as fuel during highly intense training and at the end of long-distance events when the body recruits protein for as much as 20 percent of its energy needs.

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Micronutrients

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A chemical element or substance required in trace amounts for the normal growth and development of living organism.

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Vitamins

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Organic food substances present in plants and animals, essential in small quantities for the proper functioning of every organ of the body, and for all energy production. They must be obtained through the diet because they cannot be synthesized by the body.

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Minerals

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Solid inorganic substances of natural occurrence. There are 96 times more minerals in the body than vitamins. As vitamins, they are necessary for life itself and combine with other basic components of food to form enzymes. Minerals are ingested through food and water. Many minerals are deficient in the diet because of mineral-poor agricultural soil, the results of intensive farming, and long-term use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

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Phytates

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The principal storage form of phosphorus in many plant tissues, especially bran and seeds.

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Oxalates

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An salt or ester of oxalic acid occurring in plants, especially spinach, rhubarb, and certain other vegetables and nuts. It's capable of forming an insoluble salt with calcium and interfering with its absorption by the body.

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Phytonutrients

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A substance found in certain plants which is believed to be beneficial to human health and help prevent various diseases.

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Hormesis

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Refers to a biphasic dose response to an environmental agent characterized by a low dose stimulation or beneficial effect and a high dose inhibitory toxic effect.

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Zoonutrients

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Food molecules that have been shown to have potential in modifying multiple physiological functions including anti-inflammatory, anti hypertension and antimicrobial actions, stimulation of beneficial bacteria, the maturation of intestinal cells, and the education of the immune system.

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Dehydration

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The condition resulting from the excessive loss of body water.

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Hyponatremia

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A condition that occurs when the level of sodium in the blood is too low.