Nutrient and Digestive System

What nutrients do we need?

Organic Nutrients (obtained from living organisms, are all compounds of carbon)

• Carbohydrates
• Lipids
• Proteins
• Vitamins
• Dietary Fibre

Inorganic Nutrients

• Water
• Mineral salts

Carbohydrates

-Organic compounds that are made up of C, H & O.

For example...

Lipids (fat)

*But there is a difference between lipids and fats.

Hydrolysis of a Fat Molecule

Proteins

-Made up of amino acids of which there are 20 naturally occurring types.

Functions of Proteins

-Essential for the synthesis of protoplasm, for growth and repair of worn out cells.

-Synthesis of enzymes and hormones

-Formation of antibodies to combat diseases

-Source of energy (17KJ/g)

Malnutrition: The consequences of deficiencies

Kwashiorkor - Lack of protein

Kwashiorkor is an African word meaning the disease the first child gets when the second is born or the 'disease of the first child gets when the second is born or the disease of the deposed child'

Symptoms:

-Greying hair

-Swelling of the abdomen

-Skin crack and become scaly

Deficiency in Vitamins

Vitamin A

Signs of deficiency: Poor night vision or night blindness, loss of appetite, increased susceptibility to infection, and changes in the skin and teeth

Vitamin E

Signs of deficiency: *Anemia in infants and nerve damage in adults.

*decrease in the red blood cells

Vitamin K

Signs of deficiency: Excessive bleeding and an inability for blood to clot

Vitamin C

Signs of deficiency: black-and-blue marks, bleeding gums, nose bleeds and wounds that heal slower than normal. Swollen, tender joints and aching bones, general weakness, loss of appetite and dry, scaly skin.

->> Scurvy (deficiency in Vitamin C)

       - painful, swollen joints

       -Swollen, bleeding gums; loss of teeth

Vitamin D

Signs of deficiency: A prolonged lack of this nutrient results in changes in the bones of children and adults.

Minerals

-Calcium

->> Rickets- deficiency in Vitamin D or Calcium

(bow-legged; bending of legs)

-Iron

Deficiency causes anaemia.

Other deficiencies

-Iodine deficiency is the main cause of potentially preventable mental retardation in childhood , as well as causing goitre and hypothyroidism in people of all ages.

-Iron deficiency may lead to anemia and eventually fatigue.