Class notes
Lecture notes from a first-class student
- Course
- Institution
In-depth lecture notes
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
griches10
Content preview
PSY351 Nutrition and BehaviorWhat is a nutrient?
• A chemical substance in food that helps maintain the body
• Some provide energy
• All help build cells and tissues, regulate bodily processes such as breathing
• No single food supplies all the nutrients the body needs to function
• Split between macro & micro-nutrients
Macro-nutrients
Protein
• 20 common amino acids make up proteins
• Amino acids connect to make small peptide chains
• Peptide chains combine to produce much longer strand -> protein, which has 3D structure,
forming receptor site for neurotransmitters.
• Essential amino acids – can't be synthesized by the organism & must be supplied by diet. There
are 8 of these: phenylalanine (converted to tyrosine), valine, threonine, tryptophan (converted
to serotonin), isoleucine, methionine, leucine and lysine. Unlike fat & starch, the body doesn’t
store excess amino acids for later use, so it must be in food every day.
• Non-essential amino acids - don’t have to be consumed as the body can convert some other
molecules to that structure. 12 of these: alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid (neurotransmitter),
cysteine, glutamic acid (neurotransmitter), glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, tyrosine
(converted to dopamine/noradrenaline/adrenaline), arginine and histidine.
• Two major functions – enzymes that catalyze biological reactions, and structural function
Carbohydrates
,• All carbs consist of monosaccharides, di-saccharides and poly-saccharides
• The brain is the most metabolically active organ in the body, and uses glucose as its fuel, needs a
continuous supply of glucose to function.
• If levels of glucose fall, you get hypoglycemia – problems with memory, mood, vision, speech
• Too much glucose can cause damage to the structure of molecules and may influence the aging
process.
, • Glucose forms starch, glycogen & cellulose:
• After eating a meal, you get a burst of glucose in bloodstream which is stored in liver in chains,
producing glycogen (storage molecule). After not eating for a while, this glycogen is broken
down and released as glucose.
• Starch is a long chain of glucose, storage form in plants.
• Cellulose, indigestible by humans, comes through the body as fiber.
Microbiome/microbiota
, • Microbiota – number of types of species of gut bacteria. 100 trillion of them.
• Microbiome – genetic material that these bacteria include
• Fast developing area of interest.
• Drugs act different if the population of microbiota are different.
• Digesting fiber encourages development of friendly bacteria, preventing weight gain, diabetes,
heart disease and cancer
• The gut microbiome controls the immune system
• Gut/brain interaction
Fats
• Fatty acids have 2 different structures: saturated (single carbon bond) and unsaturated (double
carbon bond)
• Saturated fats – bad, found mainly in animal products and coconut/palm kennel oils. Biggest
dietary cause of high LDL levels (bad cholesterol). Predisposes heart disease & dementia
• Unsaturated fats – good, found in rapeseed/sunflower/corn oil. It helps lower cholesterol if used
in place of saturated fats.
• Trans fats – formed when vegetable oil hardens (hydrogenation). Raises LDL cholesterol. Found
in fried foods, commercially baked foods, processed foods and margarine.
• 60% of dry weight of brain is fat, of which a quarter is cholesterol (essential part of sex
hormones, vitamin D & steroid hormones from the cortex of adrenal gland). If you do not eat
cholesterol, the body makes it.
• The fat of the brain is made up of two families of essential, poly-unsaturated fatty acids: omega-
3 and omega-6.
• 20% of the brain has DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid. Most of us don’t eat enough (found in oily,
fatty fish). Debate on whether lack of omega-3 in diet inhibits brain development, increases
depression and dementia.
Micronutrients
Vitamins
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller griches10. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $9.69. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
78677 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now