What are nutrients?

Energy, which is provided by the fat, carbohydrates and protein in the diet, is needed by the body to digest food, grow, repair itself, keep the body warm and move around. The amount of energy required depends upon the body size, gender, age and physical activity. Water and oxygen are also needed in abundant supply.

All biological processes in the human body are affected through four main groups of biologically active molecules. These four groups are: fats, proteins, nucleic acids (RNA and DNA) and carbohydrates.

Phytonutrients

Plant foods contain thousands of natural chemicals. These are called phytonutrients or phytochemicals. “Phyto” is the Greek word for plant. These chemicals help protect plants from germs, viruses, fungi, parasites, insects and other threats.

They are also necessary in the human body because they assist with making vitamins, hormones and proteins. They also prevent illness, infections and disease and keep the body working properly.

More than 25,000 phytonutrients are found in plant foods. Whole grains, nuts, legumes, tea, vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices contain them.

Amino acids

If the content of a single indispensable amino acid in the food is less than an individual’s requirement, other amino acids cannot be used for normal protein synthesis even when the total nitrogen intake level is adequate.

Thus, the “limiting amino acid” will determine the nutritional value of the total nitrogen or protein in the diet.

Catabolism

Catabolism is the breakdown of proteins into amino acids and simple derivative compounds, for transport into the cell through the plasma membrane and ultimately for the polymerisation into new proteins via the use of ribonucleic acids (RNA) and ribosomes. Protein catabolism, which is the breakdown of macromolecules, is essentially a digestion process.

Anabolism

Anabolism is the phase of metabolism in which simple substances are synthesised into the complex materials of living tissue.

Nutrients the human body needs to function

• Antioxidants
• Carbohydrates
• Fatty acids
• Minerals
• Protein
• Oxygen
• Vitamins
• Water

Carbohydrates

• Sugars
• Starch
• Fibre

Fatty acids

• Butyric acid
• Omega-3 (see below)
• Omega-6 (linoleic acid)
• Omega-7 (palmitoleic acid)
• Omega-9 (oleic acid)
• Pinolenic acid
• Palmitic acid

Omega-3 fatty acids

• Docosahexaenoic (DHA) omega-3 fatty acids
• Docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) omega-3 fatty acids
• Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) omega-3 fatty acids
• Linolenic acid

Protein

Protein is made up of these 20 amino acids

Minerals (inorganic nutrients)

Vitamins

Some of these vitamin are no longer called vitamins as they were removed once scientists discovered they were not actually vitamins. Two examples are vitamin B4 which is known as Adenine and vitamin B13 which is known as Orotic acid.

An organic chemical compound (or related set of compounds) is called a vitamin when the organism cannot synthesise the compound in sufficient quantities and therefore must be obtained through the diet. Consequently, the name vitamin is conditional upon the whether the organism’s body can manufacture the compound and the particular organism involved.

For example, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a vitamin for humans, but not for most other animal organisms. It has been discovered that the human body can synthesise A, B1, B3, B7 and K2 through their gut microbiota and hence they were declassed.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, as well as enzymes, that assist in chemical reactions. Find out what they are and their functions: Antioxidants

Nutrient storage

Human bodily stores for different vitamins vary widely; vitamins A (retinol), vitamin D and vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) are stored in significant amounts in the human body, mainly in the liver. However, an adult human’s diet may be deficient in vitamins A and D for many months and B12 in some cases for years, before developing a deficiency condition.

Substances stored by the liver

• Copper
• Glucose (in the form of glycogen)
• Iron
• Vitamins A (1–2 years supply)
• Vitamin D (1–2 months’ supply)
• Vitamin B12 (1–3 years supply)
• Vitamin K

Supplement dangers

There are two types of supplements:

• Complete food supplements contain the whole foods without any added ingredients such as cod liver, krill or other oils in capsules or dried and powdered complete foods etc.
• Nutrient supplements are the fundamental nutrients extracted or made synthetically such as multivitamins, iron etc.

Many individual natural foods already contain all the correct cofactors to enable utilisation of the nutrients to take place, and the body is able to discern what it requires from whole foods and expels that which it does not need.

The problem with taking nutrients already broken down into their absorbable form is that absorption will be forced whether required or not and lead to imbalances in the system.

For instance, when taking extra vitamin C, the same amount of vitamin E is required or the levels of the minerals iron, manganese and zinc in the body will be affected.

The intensely intricate relationships and cofactors involved between all inorganic nutrients (minerals) and organic nutrients (amino acids, enzymes, fatty acids, proteins, starch, sugars, vitamins etc.) are so complicated that it is impossible to know what to take unless a serious deficiency has shown up in a blood or urine test etc.

Then taking extra of that particular nutrient is obviously required but should be done with foods rich in the particular nutrient unless the deficiency is severe.

People often think that if they take a multivitamin every day they are helping their body when in fact they are confusing it and causing imbalances.

Also, many supplements contain forms of the nutrients that cannot be absorbed and unhealthy artificial additives such as preservatives and sweeteners like aspartame. Healthy individuals should never take nutrient supplements until they have had a blood test to know if any are lacking and probably 99% will find they do not need any supplementation yet so many waste far too much money on these needless and cleverly marketed commodities.

It may even do serious harm to the heath as in the case where it has been scientifically proven that if smokers take supplements containing beta-carotene and vitamin A there is a much higher risk of them developing lung cancer.

There is concern that the synthesising of some vitamins can leave traces of heavy metals which are detectable in the final product. Over the last decade a number of supplements, from individual vitamins to whey proteins, have been tested and traces of a number of heavy metals have been detected.

As mandatory product testing is not enforced it is impossible to determine which vitamins may contain these heavy metals, and which do not. It is for this reason that many people do not recommend synthetic forms of vitamins, as heavy metals are linked to brain degeneration, liver toxicity and genetic mutations and could lead to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease.

For natural way to remove these toxins from the body see>> Heavy metals

Taking whole food supplements, however, can often help the body, although eating the whole unprocessed food is obviously the best way to gain the best nutrients. Consuming too much of one type of food can also be damaging and cause imbalances in nutrients.

Even too much water can caused complications by upsetting the balance of sodium and potassium in the body.

The diet should be as varied in colours and types of food as possible over a period of two weeks as that is how long some nutrients can be stored in the body of an averagely active healthy person. This can then provide all the nutrients required to function correctly and avoid infections.

Related subjects

• A-Z of nutrients
• Colour codes of nature
• Electrolytes
• Feed your friendly bacteria
• Protein
• Minerals
• Vitamins

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