NUTRITION – THE ROLE OF NUTRITION IN OUR HEALTH

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WHAT IS NUTRITION? Q Nutrition is the science that studies food and how food nourishes our body and influences our health. Q Nutrition encompasses: ➢ How we consume, digest, metabolize, and store... nutrients ➢ How these nutrients affect our body ➢ Studying the factors that influence our eating patterns ➢ Making recommendations about the amount we should eat of each type of food ➢ Attempting to maintain food safety ➢ Addressing issues related to the global food supply Q Therefore, think of nutrition as the discipline that encompasses everything about food. Q Nutrition research continued to focus on identifying and preventing deficiency diseases through the first half of the 20th century. Q However, after WW2, nutrition research began pursuing the supporting wellness and preventing and treating chronic diseases. ➢ Chronic Diseases are diseases that come on slowly and can persist for years, often despite treatment. ➢ Particular interests include: obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and various cancers. Q Nutrigenomics seeks to uncover links between our genes, our environment, and our diet. (Closing decades of the 20th century) HOW DOES NUTRITION CONTRIBUTE TO HEALTH? Q The foods provide your body with the energy it needs to function properly. ➢ The substances you take into your body are broken down and reassembled into your brain cells, bones, muscles – all of your tissues and organs. Q Proper nutrition can help us improve our health, prevent certain diseases, achieve and maintain a desirable weight, and maintain our energy and vitality. Is Pellagra an Infectious Disease? Q This disease that raged throughout South America called pellagra is caused by the deficiency of niacin, one of the B-vitamins. NUTRITION IS ONE OF SEVERAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO HEALTH Q Health can be defined in many ways. ➢ Traditionally, it was simply considered to be the absence of disease. ➢ “A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (World Health Organization) Q The overall state of nutrition is influenced by how much energy we expend doing daily activities, and the level of physical activity has a major impact on how we use the nutrients in our food. Q Several studies have suggested that healthful nutrition and regular physical activity can increase feelings of well-being and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. A HEALTHFUL DIET CAN PREVENT SOME DISEASES & REDUCE YOUR RISK FOR OTHE [Show More]

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