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Nutritional science is the study of nutrition, though it typically emphasizes human nutrition. The type of organism determines what nutrients it needs and how it obtains them. Organisms obtain nutrients by consuming organic matter , consuming inorganic matter, absorbing light, or some combination of these.
Human nutrition deals with the provision of essential nutrients in food that are necessary to support human life and good health. [1] Poor nutrition is a chronic problem often linked to poverty, food security, or a poor understanding of nutritional requirements. [2]
By definition, phytochemicals include all nutritional and non-nutritional components of edible plants. [36] Included as nutritional constituents are provitamin A carotenoids , [ 37 ] whereas those without nutrient status are diverse polyphenols , flavonoids , resveratrol , and lignans that are present in numerous plant foods. [ 38 ]
In the context of nutrition, a mineral is a chemical element. Some "minerals" are essential for life, but most are not. [1] [2] [3] Minerals are one of the four groups of essential nutrients; the others are vitamins, essential fatty acids, and essential amino acids. [4]
Nutritional science (also nutrition science, sometimes short nutrition, dated trophology [1]) is the science that studies the physiological process of nutrition (primarily human nutrition), interpreting the nutrients and other substances in food in relation to maintenance, growth, reproduction, health and disease of an organism.
The science of nutrition attempts to understand how and why specific dietary aspects influence health. Nutrients in food are grouped into several categories. Macronutrients are fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Micronutrients are the minerals and vitamins. Additionally, food contains water and dietary fiber.
Even though macros and calories are different concepts, they are dependent on each other. While macros refer to the three types of main nutrients that you need - protein, carbohydrate, and fat, calories, on the other hand, refer to the nutritional value of your meal. [3]
The most important aspect and defining characteristic of protein from a nutritional standpoint is its amino acid composition. [2] Proteins are polymer chains made of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. During human digestion, proteins are broken down in the stomach to smaller polypeptide chains via hydrochloric acid and protease actions.