How are nutrients used by the body?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

It's no secret that food nutrients are used by the body, moreover, we need to constantly replenish them. But what role do they play, and in which products exactly?

There are six types of nutrients that the human body uses: water, minerals, vitamins, proteins, fats, carbohydrates. These are the main beneficial substances obtained from food, which are used to maintain the viability of tissues, renew them, generate energy for physiological activity and regulate metabolism. The need for them is experienced throughout life, and each substance performs certain functions.

Mechanism of absorption of nutrients by the body

Absorption of nutrients occurs only after their splitting, they are not absorbed in their pure form. splitenzymes seep through the walls of the digestive tract, entering the bloodstream. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates provide the body with fuel in the form of calories. Water, minerals, vitamins perform the functions of a building and consumable material, which is no less important.

Water

This universal solvent is involved in almost all vital processes of the body:

• water nourishes the cells, preventing them from dehydration;
• transports substances and hormones to all organs;
• water helps burn fat by converting these cells into energy; its consumption in sufficient quantities reduces appetite;
• activates kidney function;
• digestion and excretion of waste products of the body are carried out in a liquid medium.

Lack of water inevitably leads to disruption of the functions of internal organs, an increase in adipose tissue. Brain cells are the first to experience water deficiency.

Minerals

Minerals can be divided into two groups: macro- and microelements. A sufficient amount of them in the body is responsible for the strength of the musculoskeletal system, water and acid-base balance, promotes the combination of proteins with lipids, strengthens the nervous system, etc. Microelements, as a rule, are necessary for normal life in small quantities, and macroelements - in large. The lack of any mineral in the body inhibits the activity of other minerals.

Using Vitamins

Such cellular nutrients as vitamins play a very important role for human he alth, because their deficiency leads to disruption of metabolic processes in the body and a decrease in immunity. This aspect is so important that people leading an active lifestyle are advised to take additional vitamin complexes. There are no vitamins in nature in their pure form: each of them exists in a complex biological complex, which, in fact, helps the body to use them.

Protein use

Protein is essential for tissue growth and repair. In addition, nutrients are used by the body in the production of hormones, enzymes and antibodies and the normal conduct of chemical reactions.

We consume proteins from meat, poultry, fish, grains and legumes, milk, nuts and eggs. They contain amino acids, restore the expended energy and provide plastic processes in tissues. An increased amount of protein food is recommended for children and pregnant women.

How fats are used by the body

Key nutrients, fats, are used by the human body to maximize vitamin absorption, energy production and protection against colds. There are three types of fats: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

Dairy, red meat, coconut oil and some other foods are high in saturated fat; peanuts and olives are rich in monounsaturated fats; soy andvegetable oils (sesame, corn, etc.) are champions in polyunsaturated fats.

The supply of nutrients in this category provides cell plasticity, restores the compounds necessary for energy production and renewal of the body as a whole.

The participation of carbohydrates in the life support of the body

Simple and complex carbohydrates (monosaccharides and polysaccharides, respectively) - found in large quantities in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, etc. These nutrients are used by the body primarily to produce vital energy. They participate in the synthesis of cells, are in close connection with fats, which allows them to interchange one with another. A powerful source of carbohydrate is starch.

Indigestible fiber, useful for the intestinal microflora, plays the role of a "panicle" that cleans it from toxins and toxins. It is a coarse vegetable fibers, which are complex carbohydrates. Food rich in fiber improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and the cardiovascular system, increases resistance to various diseases.

Functions of nutrients used by the body

All nutrients are used by the body in a specific way, although the main functions can be divided into three types.

1. Building function, restoring the structure of cells and tissues. Useful substances are involved in the regeneration of internal and external organs. Mostly proteins andsome minerals such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, etc.;
2. Energy Function: Nutrients such as fats and carbohydrates, and secondarily proteins, are used by the body to provide energy for metabolism. They help maintain a certain body temperature, make muscle movements, etc.;
3. Regulatory function for which various vitamins and minerals are used. With their help, the chemical reactions of metabolism and the activity of the internal organs are regulated.

For a he althy diet, it is important to maintain the ratio of all nutrients and do not forget about the right combination of various products.

Food groups and energy values

Nutrients in foods are found in different quantities, which is why the food in the diet should be varied.

So, fruits are rich in sugars, vitamins and water; sweet desserts are quickly digested and, when consumed in moderation, are a good source of energy. Vegetables should be eaten regularly, because with a minimum energy component, they have a fairly high content of vitamins and minerals responsible for metabolism.

Root vegetables and cereals are used by the body as a powerful source of energy, with a large amount of complex carbohydrates.

Meat, fish and eggs are a storehouse of "building material" of protein cells, and milk and dairy products are rich in fats, proteins, as well as calcium and other valuable trace elements.

In calculationthe energy value of foodstuffs, the unit of heat transfer is used - kilocalorie (kcal), which corresponds to the thermal energy spent to raise the temperature of 1 liter of distilled water from 14.5 ° C to 15 ° C. Almost all the necessary nutrients are involved in the production of thermal energy for the biochemical reactions of metabolism, the implementation of the motor function of the muscles and the maintenance of normal body temperature. It is the processing (digestion) of proteins, fats and carbohydrates that releases a certain amount of energy.

Nutrients in digestion

The content of nutrients in the cells is necessary for the implementation of metabolism. Protein is continuously broken down and synthesized by the digestive system. But how do nutrients change with processing?

Animal and vegetable food has all the types of elements necessary for the body. But by themselves, meat, milk, or, for example, bread, are not absorbed by cells. Only preliminary preparation guarantees the absorption of nutrients. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates are broken down by the digestive organs into the simpler particles of which they are composed and which are then used in metabolic processes.

Proteins are made up of amino acids, to which they are broken down in the digestive tract. Fats are a complex combination of fatty acids with glycerol in a ratio of 3: 1 in one molecule. The acids are different, so they make fats of different composition.

Fiber, starch and other complex carbohydrates are made up of monosaccharides, known to allrepresented by glucose. These substances look like a chain of 6 carbon atoms, with oxygen and hydrogen atoms attached “on the side” according to the scheme: 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen per 1 carbon atom. As if the water molecule H₂O stuck to it, hence the name of this group of compounds - carbohydrates.

Thus, if water, vitamins and minerals can be used by the body in their usual form, as found in foods, then proteins during digestion are first broken down into amino acids, fats into glycerol and fatty acids, and carbohydrates into monosaccharides.

The cycle of digestion consists of mechanical (chopping, mixing, etc.) and chemical processing of food (splitting into simpler components). These processes are carried out under the action of enzymes of digestive juices. Thus, in these organs, the work is also carried out by muscle tissue and endocrine glands, for the functioning of which all the same nutrients are needed that we talked about.