Nutrition

Here is a summary of Dr. Applegate’s lecture notes from 1998.

Outline:
I. Ideal diet
II. Minerals
III. Vitamins
A. Water-soluble
B. Fat-soluble

I. Ideal Diet

Carbohydrates  55-60%
Protein  12-15%
Fat   > 30%

 The more carbos you eat, the more ??? you need.
The more you exercise, the more you need to eat.
If you exercise more, what should you eat?  55-60% carbos.  In one study, it didn’t make a difference when athletes ate more.
 Some research suggests that the more you exercise, the more antioxidants you need.

II. Minerals

Calcium
Deficiency: osteoporosis – porous bones, fragile and weak bones.
Food sources: dairy products – milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream.
? - meat, grains

Iron (Fe)
Deficiency: anemia
Iron toxicity is #1 cause of death among toddlers.  They swallow their parents’ supplements.  Most common poisoning death for children > 2 y/o.
Toxicity: hemochromatosis – rare genetic defect.  Defective iron absorption, absorb too much.

Iodine (I)
Deficiency: goiter

Fluoride (F)
Deficiency: If teeth aren’t strengthened with fluoride during childhood, they will be susceptible to dental caries for the rest of their life.
Toxicity: Only aesthetic effects.  Teeth will get chalky.

Zinc (Zn)
Deficiency: delayed sexual development – 20 y/o look like 7-9 y/o.
Elderly – lowered immune function, decreased taste.
Food sources: oysters, meat, wheat germ, beans

Sodium (Na) & Potatssium (K)
Excess gets excreted through urine.
Americans consume too much Na, or salt.  We need more K to balance the Na.  The more a food gets processed, the more K gets lst and the more Na gets added.

Phosphorus (P)
 

III. Vitamins

Vitamins are not produced by the body, so they must be in the diet.

Outline:
A. Water-soluble: Vitamin C & B
B. Fat-soluble: A, D, E, & K

A. Water-soluble
Excess water-soluble vitamins are excreted by the body.  This means that they cannot be stored, which makes it easier to become deficient in these vitamins.

B1 (thiamine)
Food sources: grains, bean, liver, pork ?

B2 (riboflavin)
Food sources: dairy, d. green veggies, enriched grain, meat, eggs
Deficiency: cracking at corners of the mouth, a smooth, purple tongue, intestinal problems, skin disorders, etc.

B3 (niacin)
Food sources: pellagra – 4 Ds.  Dermatitis (skin disorder), diarrhea, delirium, death.
If skin becomes exposed to sunlight, it becomes like tissue paper, cracks, and turns black.
Deficiency: meat, fish, poultry ?, grains ?

B6 (pyridoxine)
Food sources: bananas, meat, watermelon
Deficiency: skin changes, diarrhea, muscle fatigue, anemia.  Depression too.

B12 & folate
Food sources: only in animals, fermented forms.  Miso ?.
Folate – veggies, liver, OJ.
B12 – meat, milk. ? - fruit, veggies, grain
Deficiency:

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
Food sources: oranges, kiwi, strawberry, cantaloupes, grapefruit, watermelon
Veggies – tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peppers
Deficiency: scurvy
 
 
 

B. Fat-soluble
The body stores fat-soluble vitamins very well and does not excrete extra, meaning it is difficult to be deficient in these vitamins.  However, there is the danger of consuming too much, which lead to undesirable results.  In other words, fat-soluble vitamins have high toxicity.

Vitamin A (p. 126)
Food sources: animal – milk, eggs, liver ?, deep orange/yellow fruits
Veggies – cantaloupes, apricots, papayas, carrots, winter squash (butternut, pumpkin), broccoli
Deficiency: night blindness after 2 year deficiency, stunted growth in children
Xeropthalmia: blindness
Toxicity: in large amounts, birth defects and enlarged liver ? death

Vitamin D
Food sources: 30 min to 2 hrs of sunlight.  Fatty fish, fluid milk (FDA)
Deficiency: soft bones, bone deformation, abnormal growth in facial bones.
Babies – enlarged head, overgrowth of cartlige.

Vitamin E
Antioxidant.
Food sources: ½ from veggie oils.  Wheat germ, nuts.
Deficiency: Takes 7 years for Vitamin E deficiency to occur.
Hemolytic anemia: RBC breakage.
Possibly causes cancer by damaging DNA.

Vitamin K
Food sources: ½ from bacterial by-products.  Green, leafy veggies.
Deficiency: rare.  Blood clot formation, hemophilia (blood clot due to genetic defect).  Antibiotics can kill the bacteria that produce Vitamin K.  Medication can interfere with blood clot.