FN 225: Nutrition
Noy Rathakette, Ph.D.
Health Professions Division
Lane Community College
Eugene, Oregon

LECTURE 1A


CORRECTIONS / CLARIFICATIONS:
  1. Notice what page 15 of your packet says about disabling your email address if you would rather not get messages in your personal email regarding this class.

  2. Each week,  there will be a FORUM discussion.  Each week, you are required to 
    • post a reply to a question from me or another student or
    • post a question you have regarding the content of the class or
    • post a "reply" to another student's posting.

  3. The Science Resource Center on the LCC 30th Ave. campus is not a good location for viewing these Lectures because they do not have on their computers the newest version of QuickTime, which is necessary for watching the Video Clips.  The computers in the LCC library DO have on their computers the newest version of QuickTime, as do the computers in Building 4, room 201.

  4. Viewing the video clips works best with the following browsers:
    Safari if using a Mac
    Explorer if using a Windows-based computer

    I didn't understand why, but Firefox does NOT work.

  5. Notice the last Study Question on page 22 of your packet that says:
    MYSTERY QUESTIONS.  For this one, have your Chapter 1 LECTURE OUTLINE in front of you.  You will be asked several questions about something from one of the blanks in this LECTURE OUTLINE or one of the questions that are asked in this LECTURE OUTLINE and were answered in Lecture 1A or in Lecture 1B. 

  6. Rather than having online materials that you'd need to print, most of what you'll need is in the Packet for this class available at the LCC Bookstore.  Before looking at this Lecture, look at the Study Questions beginning on page 15 of the Packet for this class.  Especially look at the MYSTERY QUESTION information on page 22 of your packet.

  7. Please tell me if you are unable to read the document above Week 1 called "Calendar dates for Fall term, 2009". 

  8. During Week 1, start to keep track of what you eat for 1 day.  There are instructions near the beginning of your packet.  Be sure to read all steps of the instructions, especially the last one.


FORUM to be posted Monday afternoon (Be certain to read what it says above about required FORUM participation):
  1. Briefly introduce yourself by telling us were you were born and how long you've lived in the town where you live now.


While looking at this lecture (and listening to a part of it that comes later), fill out the Lecture Outline in your packet that begins on page 9.

LECTURE 1A: Chapter1- Food Choices and Human Health
Begin by looking at how this LECTURE OUTLINE is organized in your packet.
I The Science of Nutrition

II Placebo Effect

LECTURE 1B will continue with Chapter 1.

III Identifying Valid Nutrition Info in the News: Scientific Research

IV Identifying Nutrition Info that is unreliable (not valid) & that should make you suspicious

V 4 Guidelines for Evaluating Nutrition Info on the Web
(from the LCC library)


I The Science of Nutrition

A.    Definition of "Nutrient" for EXAMS-
a chemical substance in food that is required by the body to

provide energy, give the body structure and/or help it work.

USING THE ABOVE DEFINITION, which of the following is a nutrient- carrots, vitamin A or both __________

Click here if you think the answer is carrots.

Click here if you think the answer is vitamin A.

Click here if you think the answer is both.

The 6 categories (types) of nutrients for humans:
1.  carbohydrates (sugar, starch, fiber)
2.  fats
3.  proteins
4.  water
5.  vitamins
6.  minerals

Which of these categories do you think should be first?
Click here is your answer would be water.

 Click here is your answer would be protein.

Click here is your answer would be one of the other categories.

The categories of nutrients that have energy that humans can use are (1) carbohydrates (starch and sugar but not fiber), (2) fats and (3) proteins.

I'm hoping that these Lectures help you understand the material, not only to help you be successful on tests, but also to deepen your understanding so you'll remember it even after the course is over.


The above poster was on the office door of a colleague, Steve McQuiddy.

B.    MACRONUTRIENTS (not defined this way in our text):
1.    carbohydrates (sugar, starch, fiber)
2.    fat
3.    protein
4.    water

Which of these macronutrients can be broken apart to yield energy for the human body? (see above)
C.    MICRONUTRIENTS: vitamins; minerals
1.    Vitamins. 

Vitamins A, E, D, K and C are examples of vitamins. Also, there are 8 B-complex vitamins and they are thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, folate, B12 and B6.

2.    Minerals. 

Examples of minerals include calcium, potassium, sodium and iron.

Neither vitamins nor minerals can be broken apart to yield energy for the human body, although vitamins DO have energy.  More about this later.  

D.    Is a potato a carbohydrate? _________Why or why not?

Click here if you think the answer is Yes.

Click here if you think the answer is No.


Why is it NOT appropriate to call a potato a carbohydrate?

You should now be able to answer this.

Speaking of potatoes, each week The New Yorker magazine has on its back page a cartoon in need of a caption.  Readers submit a caption, they choose 3 finalists and then readers vote on their favorite of the finalists.  These were THE FINALISTS in their November 19, 2007 issue:


When you submit the Study Questions for Chapter 1, you'll get a chance to vote on your favorite caption.

E.    What is the definition of a nutrient?

Use the definition at the start of this lecture.
F.    Definition of an organic nutrient-

A nutrient (or substance) containing carbon to carbon bonds which can be broken apart (also called burned) to release energy.  (A bond is a link between two elements.)

An element is a substance that can't be separated into smaller parts. Examples of elements include carbon, hydrogen, iron and calcium.)

Here is the Periodic Table of all the elements:
On the Periodic Table below, find the following elements:

carbon [C]
hydrogen [H]
oxygen [O]
iron [Fe].




Glucose (shown below) is an organic substance because it has carbon atoms bonded to other carbon atoms which can be broken apart to release energy.


A MOLECULE OF GLUCOSE

Is C02 an organic substance? Use the definition above (definition of an organic nutrient) to answer this.
[C02 (carbon dioxide) is a combination of one atom of carbon bonded to 2 atoms of oxygen.]

Click here if you think C02 is an organic substance.
Click here if you think C02 is NOT an organic substance.

Why or why not? You should be able to answer this now, but you may have dificulty if you did not click just above where it says click here.  Send me a message if you're still confused.

Four of the 6 categories (the ones in a green font) of nutrients are organic.
1.  carbohydrates (sugar, starch, fiber)
2.  fats
3.  proteins
4.  water
5.  vitamins
6.  minerals


The vitamins in our food ARE organic and contain energy. Why can't our bodies release this energy that is in vitamins?

One reason we canNOT release the energy in vitamins is that we don't want to! Releasing the energy in vitamins would require breaking the vitamins apart.  Then we would not have vitamins available to do for us what we need them to do, such as help us heal (vitamin C) or see (vitamin A).

So we don't make the enzymes needed to break apart vitamins.




Photomicrograph of Vitamin C

by Michael W. Davidson, 1990
Center for Materials Research & Technology
and Institute of Molecular Biophysics
The Florida State University, Tallahassee

A colleague, the chemistry instructor Gary Mort, said that pictures like the above are taken with plain polarized light. The crystals act as diffraction gratings and since they are at different angles, the crystals show up as different colors. Many organic molecules can do this.

G.    Definition of an inorganic nutrient-

A nutrient without a carbon to carbon bond and it cannot be broken apart to release energy.

Which of the 6 categories of nutrients are inorganic? It's the two that are left over from the list.



Above is another look at the Periodic Table of the Elements.
Connie Rowlett, the Administrative Assistant in the Science Division, is wearing the shirt.

Why is vitamin A considered organic while iron is considered inorganic?

As you can see with the image below, vitamin A has many carbon atoms bonded to other carbon atoms so it is organic.  Iron, on the other hand, is a single element.  See if you can find iron (Fe) on Connie's Tshirt above.

 
02avitairon


Your Turkey Cheese Frank fell into the barbecue and is now nothing but ash. Which of the six categories of nutrients is this ash composed of? The ash is composed of minerals.

What did the carbohydrates, proteins, fats & vitamins become? All of these are organic and they burned up and became:
1.    heat
2.    carbon dioxide (which went into the air)
3.    water (which evaporated)

H.    Definition of a Calorie (kcal)- a measure of how much energy (or potential heat) in a food

1 gram carbohydrate OR protein has 4 Calories (kcal) 1 gram fat has 9 Calories (kcal)

(a gram is about the weight of a paper clip)



01bfannietitle
This 1912 cookbook is by Fannie Merritt Farmer.  Notice below how food was classified.  This more accurately should have said "NUTRIENTS are classified as follows":

01cfannieclassif
Which of the 6 categories of nutrients was missing back in 1912? ________________

A form for your Food Record is on page 3 of your packet.  #12 on that page says that "After Week 1, look above Week 1 in our Moodle class for 'Instructions for Diet Analysis Using the Internet'".  If I forget to make the instructions available, please remind me.



II Placebo Effect
(Definition of placebo- NOT a real treatment but it might induce body's natural healing process.) 

Consider the following: 500 women were divided into 2 groups. One group took 1200 mg of calcium a day and the other took a placebo. After 3 menstrual cycles, the calcium group reported a nearly 50 percent drop in 4 major PMS symptoms: mood swings, pain, water retention and food cravings. The placebo group saw a 30% decrease (Newsweek, Special Issue)

        Why is this an example of the placebo effect?

It is an example of the  placebo effect because BOTH groups saw improvement, even the group receiving the placebo.


For the next section, watch the "Healing Video Clip" below.  It will help you fill in some blanks in your Lecture Outline.

In this clip, as well as  most future clips, I'm giving a lecture during the winter of 2007 when I taught this class on local cable TV.

There is no sound on the last 20 or 30 seconds of thus video clip, but you will see some text.  

It ends with the words "The end of this video clip".

Healing Video Clip (Beth's)
The two browsers that seem to be the fastest ways of accessing the video clips are Safari on a Mac and Internet Explorer on a Windows-based computer. 

A dial-up Internet connection is not fast enough to watch many parts of the Lectures. 

If an approximately 10-minute movie isn't showing up just above on your computer, you may not have the latest version of QuickTime on your computer.  Click here to download the newest version of Quick Time.
(If you're viewing these lectures at LCC, you can watch the Video Clips on the library's computers or on the computers in the Computer Lab in Building 4, room 201.  You will probably not be able to view the Video Clips on the computers in the Science Resource Center.)

The movie may appear jerky the first time through.  That's because it's "buffering" onto your computer.  It should be smooth the second time through.

Viewing the video clips works best with the following browsers:
Safari if using a Mac
Explorer if using a Windows-based computer

I don't understand why, but Firefox does NOT work.



    What is the definition of a "quack remedy"?
  1. A quack remedy has unproven claims for benefits
  2. exaggerated beyond what you'd see with a placebo. 
  3. There is probably intentional deception in order to 
  4. make money.
  5. There is potential for harm.
  6. And the benefits are likely temporary.
    What is the difference between a quack remedy and the placebo effect?

A placebo effect is not exaggerated, deceptive, money-making or harmful, but the benefits ARE likely temporary.  It is something that is documented during research to determine if a treatment is more effective than a placebo treatment.  The participants in the research are told that they will be receiving the actual treatment OR a placebo treatment.
04bplacebojimfire

Here is Beth's husband warming up in front of our gas stove and he thinks he IS warming up.  But you'll notice that he is receiving a placebo benefit because the stove is NOT ON.  

Just standing there induced his body to do activities that made him feel warm, like increasing circulation.  But it's definitely temporary and we would NOT be happy is someone took our money for that stove telling us we'd always receive a benefit even without putting a gas line to it then turning it on.

This is the end of Lecture 1A.  Also watch Lecture 1B during week 1.

































Incorrect. Carbon dioxide has just one carbon atom, so it is NOT considered organic.  An organic nutrient (or an organic substance) contains carbon atoms bonded to carbon atoms which can be broken apart (also called burned) to release energy.
Click here to return to the Lecture.




































Incorrect.  Carrots are NOT a nutrient.  They are a FOOD that contains the nutrient vitamin A, as well as a number of other nutrients, including fiber and potassium.
Click here to return to the Lecture.

Nutrient category to be first- There is not a correct answer to this.  Many people cite water because such a large part of out bodies is water and we would die within days of being totally without it.  But ALL categories of nutrients are essential to us and being totally without any of the nutrients would eventually lead to death.
Click here to return to the Lecture.
















































Correct.  Vitamin A IS a nutrient.  It is a chemical substance in food that is required by the body to help it work.
Click here to return to the Lecture.











































Incorrect.  Vitamin A IS a nutrient. It is a chemical substance in food that is required by the body to help it work.  
But carrots are NOT a nutrient.  They are a FOOD that contains the nutrient vitamin A, as well as a number of other nutrients, including fiber and potassium.
Click here to return to the Lecture.




















































Incorrect.  Potatoes are NOT a carbohydrate, which is a nutrient.  They are a FOOD that contains carbohydrates, mainly the carbohydrates starch & fiber.  Potatoes also have a number of other nutrients, including vitamin C and potassium.
Click here to return to the Lecture.












































Correct.  Potatoes are NOT a nutrient.  Potatoes are a FOOD that contains carbohydrates, mainly the carbohydrates starch & fiber.  Potatoes also have a number of other nutrients, including vitamin C and potassium.
Click here to return to the Lecture.














































Correct.  Carbon dioxide is NOT considered organic.  An organic nutrient (or an organic substance) contains carbon atoms bonded to carbon atoms which can be broken apart (also called burned) to release energy.
Click here to return to the Lecture.