Introduction to Nutrition and Metabolism

David A. Bender received his PhD from the University of London on the metabolism of aromatic amino acids. He retired from University College London (UCL) in 2011, with the title of emeritus professor, and continues to give a number of lectures on nutrition to medical and science students, both at UCL and at the University of Surrey. From 1994 until retirement, he was assistant faculty tutor to the medical students, and from 1998 he was subdean (education) and director of studies for the early years of the medical course at UCL. His research interests have been in the field of amino acid and vitamin nutritional biochemistry, and he was a member of the working group on vitamins that formed part of the expert committee that produced the 1991 report on Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom, the EU expert committee that produced the 1993 report on Nutrient and Energy Intakes for the European Community, and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland working party on Safe Micronutrient Levels.

Why Eat?
The need for water
The need for energy
Metabolic fuels
Hunger and appetite

Enzymes and Metabolic Pathways
Chemical reactions: breaking and making covalent bonds
Enzymes
Factors affecting enzyme activity
Coenzymes and prosthetic groups
The classification and naming of enzymes
Metabolic pathways
Enzymes in clinical chemistry and medicine

The Role of ATP in Metabolism
The adenine nucleotides
Functions of ATP
The phosphorylation of ADP to ATP

Digestion and Absorption
The gastrointestinal tract
Digestion and absorption of carbohydrates
Digestion and absorption of fats
Digestion and absorption of proteins
The absorption of vitamins and minerals

Energy Nutrition: the Metabolism of Carbohydrates and Fats
Estimation of energy expenditure
Energy balance and changes in body weight
Metabolic fuels in the fed and fasting states
Energy-yielding metabolism
The metabolism of fats
Tissue reserves of metabolic fuels
Gluconeogenesis—the synthesis of glucose from non-carbohydrate precursors

Diet and Health: Nutrition and Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases
Chronic non-communicable diseases (the ‘diseases of affluence’)
Types of evidence linking diet and chronic diseases
Guidelines for a prudent diet
Nutritional genomics: interactions between diet and genes
Free radicals, oxidative damage, and antioxidant nutrients
Homocysteine in cardiovascular disease
Other potentially protective compounds in foods

Overweight and Obesity
Desirable body weight
The problems of overweight and obesity
The causes and treatment of obesity

Protein-Energy Malnutrition: Problems of Undernutrition
Problems of deficiency
Protein-energy malnutrition
Marasmus
Cachexia
Kwashiorkor

Protein Nutrition and Metabolism
Nitrogen balance and protein requirements
Protein synthesis
The metabolism of amino acids

The Integration and Control of Metabolism
Patterns of metabolic regulation
Intracellular regulation of enzyme activity
Responses to fast-acting hormones by covalent modification of enzyme proteins
Slow-acting hormones: changes in enzyme synthesis
Hormonal control in the fed and fasting states
Selection of fuel for muscle activity
Diabetes mellitus—a failure of regulation of blood glucose concentration

Micronutrients: the Vitamins and Minerals
The determination of requirements and reference intakes
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Niacin
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Folic acid
Biotin
Pantothenic acid
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
Minerals
Nutritional anaemias