Functions and Types of Nutrients

Posted on May 15, 2024 in Biology

Functions of Nutrients

1. Energetic

  • They provide energy to develop vital functions and provide heat.
  • Sugar and fats are the most energetic nutrients. When they lack, proteins can also have this function.
  • Basal metabolism rate: Amount of energy needed to maintain our vital functions when we are at rest.

2. Structural or Plastic

  • They form our own materials. They are used to build membranes.
  • Proteins are the most important structural nutrients. Some lipids and mineral salts also have this function.

3. Regulatory

  • They ensure that metabolic reactions happen effectively, organs function normally, and all parts of our body work well together.
  • Vitamins and some minerals have a regulatory function.

Essential vs. Non-Essential Nutrients

3. What is the difference between essential and non-essential nutrients?

  • Essential: The organism cannot produce them. They must necessarily be taken with the diet.
  • Non-essential: The organism can produce them through metabolic processes.

4. What are the types and subtypes of nutrients?

5. Explain the difference between food and nutrients.

  • Food: Products that we incorporate from the environment and that constitute the raw material from which we obtain the nutrients (that our cells need to live) necessary for our bodies to grow and carry out vital functions. These nutrients include biomolecules (sugars, lipids, proteins, vitamins) as well as minerals and water.
  • Nutrients: Substances that provide us with the material and energy necessary to perform our vital functions. They are contained in food.

Structural Nutrients

6. What are the most important structural nutrients? What is the purpose of this type of nutrient?

  • Structural or plastic: They form our own materials. They are used to build membranes. Proteins are the most important structural nutrients. Some lipids and mineral salts also have this function.
Proteins:
  • Formed by single molecules, called amino acids, joining together to form long chains.
  • Structural: They are often referred to as “the body-building substances.”
Lipids:
  • Insoluble in water.
  • Structural:
    • Ex 1: Waxes
    • Ex 2: Cholesterol: Part of membranes
Mineral Salts:
  • Small inorganic substances with variable composition.
  • Structural: In solid state

Lipids and Amino Acids

7. What are the two types of some lipids or fats? How are they different at room temperature?

  • Simple lipids or fats:
    1. Saturated fats: (solids and come from animals)
    2. Unsaturated fats: (usually liquids)

8. How many amino acids are there? How many of them do human beings not produce?

  • There are 20 amino acids:
    1. 12 of them are manufactured by the body itself, so these are found in our bodies even if they are not in our diet (non-essential).
    2. The other 8 amino acids are essential because they cannot be synthesized by our body and must be obtained from food.

9. What is the function of cholesterol? Do some research to find out about “good” and “bad” cholesterol. What factors, other than diet, can raise “bad” cholesterol levels?

Composition of Nutrients

10. What is the composition of glucids?

  • Composition: Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), and Oxygen (O)

11. What is the composition of lipids?

  • Composition: Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), sometimes sulfur (S) and phosphorus (P)

12. What is the composition of proteins?

  • Composition: Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), and Nitrogen (N)

Functions of Lipids and Proteins

13. What are the functions of lipids?

  • Functions:
    1. Structural
    2. Regulatory
    3. Energy

14. What are the functions of proteins?

  • Functions:
    1. Structural: They are often referred to as “the body-building substances”:
      • Proteins in cell membranes
      • Keratin in nails and hair and collagen in the skin
    2. Regulatory: Some proteins serve as enzymes.
      • Enzymes: They are almost important in regulating the metabolism of our bodies.

Vitamins and Mineral Salts

15. In which type of food can vitamins A/B/C/D be found?

  • A: Carrots, spinach, eggs, and milk
  • B: Cereals, vegetables, liver
  • C: Oranges, cabbages, kiwis
  • D: Butter, eggs, fish

16. What are the symptoms of vitamin A/B/C/D lack?

  • A: Skin, hair, and nail injuries
  • B: Nerve disorders. Skin injuries
  • C: Fatigue. Hemorrhages in the gums
  • D: Rickets in children and fragile bones

17. What are the functions of mineral salts?

  • In solid state, they are structural, making up an important part of our bones and teeth. Ex: P, Ca, F
  • In dissolution, they are regulatory and allow our organs to function correctly and intervene in the regulation of cell metabolism. Ex: Muscle contraction: Na, K

18. In which type of food are mineral salts presented?

  • Mineral salts are presented in variable quantities in all our food, especially in fruit and vegetables, and some of them are in the water we drink.

Non-Essential Substances and Water

19. What are the characteristics of non-essential substances?

  • The organism can produce them through metabolic processes.

20. What is the most abundant molecule in our bodies?

  • Water

21. What are the functions of water in our bodies?

  1. Solvent for most of the other nutrients, which is vital for the body to carry out metabolism.
  2. Carrier for substances between different parts of the body.
  3. Regulator of body temperature.

Food Around the World

22. Choose a country other than Spain. Investigate typical foods eaten there. Are the foods similar or different to those eaten in Spain? Does your chosen country generally have a good diet? Explain your answer.

Food Groups

23. What kind of food is included in group (I): Cereals and derivatives, potatoes, sugar, and sweets?

24. What kind of food is included in group (II): Butter, oils, and fats in general?

25. What kind of food is included in group (III): Milk and its derivatives?

26. What kind of food is included in group (IV): Meats, fish, eggs, legumes, and dry fruits?

27. What kind of food is included in group (V): Vegetables?

28. What kind of food is included in group (VI): Fresh fruits?

29. What kind of food is included in group (VII): Water, physical exercise, eight hours of daily study?

Food Preservation

29. Cite three methods of preserving food based on heat:

  • Sterilization
  • Pasteurization
  • UHT (Ultra High Temperature)

30. Cite four natural additives:

  • Sugar and salt
  • Smoking
  • Vinegar and spices
  • Olive oil

Food Additives

31. What is the function of colorings?

  • Make food look more attractive for the consumer.

32. What is the function of preservatives?

  • Prolong the life of food, prevent it from spoiling.

33. What is the function of antioxidants?

  • Prevent oxidative changes in food.

34. What is the function of flavor enhancers?

  • Improve the flavor of food.

35. What is the function of stabilizers?

  • Maintain the texture of food and how it looks.

36. What is the function of sweeteners?

  • Give food a sweet taste; they may be sugars or artificial sweeteners.

Food Preservation Techniques

37. What is the objective of preserving food?

  • Prevent microorganisms from altering the original characteristics of food (appearance, smell, taste) in order to prolong the time during which it is suitable for consumption.

38. What does “dehydration” mean?

  • Water is removed from food to prevent the development of microorganisms.

39. What types of “dehydration” do you know?

  • Freeze-drying: The food is frozen and subsequently dried by sublimation at low pressure (soluble coffee, instant soups, milk powder, meat extracts).
  • Drying: Food is exposed to sunlight or dry air currents (dried figs, raisins).

40. What does “vacuum packing” mean?

  • The air is removed so that aerobic microorganisms cannot survive because there is no oxygen (meat, meat products, meat extracts).

41. What does “UHT” mean?

  • Ultra High Temperature

42. What does “fermentation” mean?

  • Thanks to the action of some microorganisms, some foods can be transformed into other products that, in addition to being better preserved, acquire new nutritional properties (cheese, yogurt).

43. What is the process suffered by soluble coffee?

  • Dehydration

44. What is the difference between refrigeration, freezing, and deep freezing?

  • Refrigeration: 0°C < T < 4°C
  • Freezing: -18°C < T < 0°C
  • Deep freezing: -150°C < T < -35°C

Genetically Modified Organisms

45. What is the meaning of Genetically Modified Organisms?

  • Organisms to which characteristics of other living beings have been incorporated (introducing DNA in them) so that they reproduce.

46. What are the objectives of producing transgenic food?

  • Productivity
  • Quality
  • Nutritious power
  • Resistance to pests

Food Labels

47. Ingredients must appear in descending order of content on food labels. Which ingredient would appear first on a packet of crisps?

  • Potatoes

48. Choose two food products and design a label for each. Remember to include all the compulsory information and to make the label as attractive as possible to consumers.

49. Observe this label. Is this product correctly labeled? Why?

  • No, it doesn’t have instructions for use, nutritional information, barcode.

Classifying Nutrients

50. Classify the following nutrients:

  • Fructose: Glucids (sugar or carbohydrates), simple sugar (have sweet flavor and are crystalline, white, and soluble in water), monosaccharides (are the simplest ones, they are used directly by our cells, in honey and fruits)
  • Butter: Saturated fats (simple lipids or fats), lipids
  • Keratin: Proteins, function: structural
  • Sucrose: Glucids (sugar or carbohydrates), complex sugar (polysaccharides)
  • Waxes: Lipids, function: structural
  • Collagen: Proteins, functions: structural, collagen in the skin
  • Cellulose: Glucids, complex sugars (polysaccharides)
  • Oils: Unsaturated fats (simple lipids or fats), lipids

Definition of Nutrition

1. What is the definition of nutrition?

Process by which our body extracts required nutrients from the food, transforms them, and incorporates them into the body structures. It allows living beings to obtain the matter and the energy necessary to stay alive.

  • It is an involuntary and unconscious process.
  • Matter is used to build and to renew our biological structures.
  • Energy is used to carry out the vital functions process.

Functions of Nutrients

2. What are the functions of the nutrients?