Nutrition and the Adult: Macronutrients

Description

The science of nutrition has advanced beyond expectation since Antoine La­ voisier as early as the 18th century showed that oxygen was necessary to change nutrients in foods to compounds which would become a part of the human body. He was also the first to measure metabolism and to show that oxidation within the body produces heat and energy. In the two hundred years that have elapsed, the essentiality of nitrogen-containing nutrients and of proteins for growth and maintenance of tissue has been established; the ne­ cessity for carbohydrates and certain types of fat for health has been docu­ mented; vitamins necessary to prevent deficiency diseases have been identified and isolated; and the requirement of many mineral elements for health has been demonstrated. Further investigations have defined the role of these nutrients in metabolic processes and quantitated their requirements at various stages of development. Additional studies have involved their use in the possible prevention of, and therapy for, disease conditions. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Nutrient Requirements: What They Are and Bases for Recommendations....Pages 1-48 Energy: Caloric Requirements....Pages 49-95 Suppliers of Energy: Carbohydrates....Pages 97-116 Suppliers of Energy: Fat....Pages 117-140 Suppliers of Energy: Carbohydrate—Fat Interrelationships....Pages 141-158 Energetics and the Demands for Maintenance....Pages 159-182 Nutrients with Special Functions: Proteins and Amino Acids in Tissue Maintenance....Pages 183-211 Nutrients with Special Functions: Essential Fatty Acids....Pages 213-238 Nutrients with Special Functions: Cholesterol....Pages 239-258 Nutrients with Special Functions: Dietary Fiber....Pages 259-279 Back Matter....Pages 281-290