Medical brain notes 13

  THE RELATIONSHIP OF NUTRITION AND HEALTH   The United States was historically referred to as the “melting pot” because it rep-resented people of many nationalities who immigrated to this country in hopes of finding a better life. The individuals in this country bring all their cultural diversi-ties with them, including their cuisine. Many choose to assimilate immediately by learning the language and trying the foods of their new country; others may favor the foods and customs of their country of origin. The diet that individuals follow will determine, to a large extent, their health, growth, and development. It has never been more imperative that active measures be taken to make our social, cultural, political, and economic environment in relation to diet a health-promoting one.   Taking care of one’s health is all about prevention. In the past, the focus was on treatment of diseases, with little, if any, attention to prevention. Preven-tion, however, can often be less ...

  NUTRIENTS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS   To maintain health and function properly, the body must be provided with  nutrients.  Nutrients are chemical substances that are necessary for life.They are divided into six classes:   ·    Carbohydrates (CHO) ·    Fats (lipids) ·    Proteins ·    Vitamins ·    Minerals ·    Water   The body can make small amounts of some nutrients, but most must be obtained from food in order to meet the body’s needs. Those available only in food are called  essential nutrients.  There are about 40 of them, and they are found in all six nutrient classes.   The six nutrient classes are chemically divided into two categories: or-ganic and inorganic (Table 1-1). Organic nutrients contain hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon. (Carbon is an element found in all living things.) Before the body can use organic nutrients, it must break them down into their smallest compo-nents. Ino...

  CARACTERISTICS OF GOOD NUTRITION Most people find pleasure in eating. Eating allows one to connect with family and friends in pleasant surroundings. This connection creates pleasant memo-ries. Unfortunately, in social situations it is easy for one to make food choices that may not be conducive to good health.   What determines when one needs to eat? Does one wait until the body signals hunger or eat when one sees food or when the clock says it is time? Hunger is the physiological need for food. Appetite is a psychological desire for food based on pleasant memories. When the body signals hunger, that is the indication that there is a decrease in blood glucose that supplies the body with energy. If one ignores the signal and hunger becomes intense, it is possible to make poor food choices. The choices one makes will determine one’s nutrition status. A person who habitually chooses to eat, or not to eat, as a way of coping with life’s emotional struggles may be suffering from a...

  MALNUTRITION   Malnutrition  can be caused by overnutrition (excess energy or nutrient in-take) or undernutrition (deficient energy or nutrient intake). We usually think of malnutrition as a condition that results when the cells do not receive an  adequate supply of the essential nutrients because of poor diet or poor utiliza-tion of food (Figure 1-2).   Sometimes it occurs because people do not or cannot eat enough of the foods that provide the essential nutrients to satisfy body needs. At other times people may eat well-balanced diets but suffer from dis-eases that prevent normal usage of the nutrients.   Overnutrition has become a larger problem in the United States than undernutrition. Overeating and the ingestion of megadoses of various vitamins and minerals (without prescription) are two major causes of overnutrition in the United States. Nutrient Deficiency   A nutrient deficiency occurs when a person lacks one or more nutrients over a period ...

  INDIVIDUALS AT RISK FROM POORNUTRITIONAL INTAKE   Teenagers may eat often but at unusual hours. They may miss regularly sched-uled meals, become hungry, and satisfy their hunger with foods that have low nutrient density such as potato chips, cakes, soda, and candy. Foods with low  nutrient density  provide an abundance of calories, but the nutrients areprimarily carbohydrates and fats and, except for sodium, very limited amounts of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Teenagers are subject to  peer pressure;  that is, they are easily influenced by the opinions of their friends. If friends favor foods with low nutrient density, it is difficult for a teenager to differ with them. Crash diets, which unfortunately are common among teens, sometimes result in a form of malnutrition. This condition occurs because some nutrients are eliminated from the diet when the types of foods eaten are severely restricted.   Pregnancy increases a woman’s hunger and the nee...

  CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF NUTRITION   There is an increasing concern among health professionals regarding the  cu-mulative effects  of nutrition. Cumulative effects are the results of somethingthat is done repeatedly over many years. For example, eating excessive amounts of saturated fats for many years contributes to  atherosclerosis,  which leads to heart attacks. Years of over-eating can cause  obesity  and may also contribute to hypertension, type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes, gallbladder disease, foot problems, certain cancers, and even personality disorders. Deficiency Diseases   When nutrients are seriously lacking in the diet for an extended period,  defi-ciency diseases  can occur. The most common form of deficiency disease inthe United States is  iron deficiency,  which is caused by a lack of the mineral iron and can cause iron deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency is particularly common among children and women...

  NUTRITION ASSESSMENT   That old saying, “You are what you eat,” is true, indeed; but one could change it a bit to read, “You are  and will be  what you eat.” Good nutrition is essential for the attainment and maintenance of good health. Determining whether a person is at risk requires completion of a  nutrition assessment,  which should, in fact, become part of a routine exam done by a registered  dietitian  or other health care professional specifically trained in thediagnosis of at-risk individuals. A proper nutrition assessment includes  anthropometric measurements, clinical examination, biochemical tests,  and  dietary-social history.   Anthropometric measurements include height and weight and measure-ments of the head (for children), upper arm, and skinfold (Figure 1-3). The skinfold measurements are done with a  caliper.  They are used to determine the percentage of adipose and muscle tissue in the body. Measu...

  CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL The practice of good nutrition habits would help eliminate many health prob-lems caused by malnutrition (Figure 1-4). The health professional is obligated to have a sound knowledge of nutrition. One’s personal health, as well as that of one’s family, depends on it. Parents must have a good, basic knowledge of nutrition for the sake of their personal health and that of their children. Chil-dren learn by imitating their parents. Family members and friends who know that the health professional has studied nutrition will ask questions. Anyone, in fact, who plans and prepares meals should value, have knowledge of, and be able to apply the principles of sound nutrition practice. Clients will have questions and complaints about their diets. Their anxi-eties can be relieved by clear and simple explanations provided by the health professional. Sometimes clients must undergo diet therapy, prescribed by their physicians, which becomes part of t...

  PLANNING A HEALTHY DIET   The statement “eat a balanced diet” has been repeated so often that its impor-tance may be overlooked. The value of this statement is so great, however, that it deserves serious consideration by people of all ages. A  balanced diet  includes all six classes of nutrients and calories in amounts that preserve and promote good health. Daily review of the  Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)  and the Rec-ommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) would provide enough information to plan balanced diets. However, ordinary meal planning would be cumber-some and time consuming if that table had to be consulted each time a meal was planned. Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) developed a simple system to help with the selection of healthful diets. It is called the  Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  In addition,  MyPyramid  was released in 2005 by th...

  DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS   The Dietary Guidelines provide science-based advice to promote health and to reduce the risk for chronic diseases through diet and physical activity. The guidelines are targeted to the general public over 2 years of age in the United States. Below are the titles of the topics for each section; all of the following key recommendations are taken from www. health.gov/dietaryguidelines. The Dietary Guidelines themselves form an integrated set of key recommendations in each of the topic areas and will be discussed under the respective topics.   ·      Adequate nutrients within calorie needs ·      Weight management ·      Physical activity ·      Food groups to encourage ·      Fats ·      Carbohydrates ·      Sodium and potassium ·      Alcoholic beverages ·      Food safety   Adequate Nutrients within...