BIOL 203 Fundamental Nutrition
Lesson 1 - Introduction to Fundamental Nutrition
[Lesson 1.2 What is the Definition of Nutrition]
[Nutrition]
Nutrition refers to how an organism, be it a plant, animal or a single bacterial cell, acquires food
and uses food to support all processes required for its existence.
Let's consider plant nutrition.
Plants are anchored by roots to the ground absorb nutrients from the soil solution and directed
upwards toward the leaves.
Developing leaf buds and flower buds pick up the bulk of the nutrients. Together with
photosynthesis, the plant now has all it needs to grow into a majestic tree towering more than 30
m high.
[Roundworm Nutrition: Through the Lens of a Biologist]
Or how about roundworm nutrition?
A biologist studying the nutrition of a roundworm, for example C. elegans, would be interested in
its locomotion during the time it is foraging for food.
Once food has been located, the worm biologist would be interested in the type and rate of
digestion in each compartment of the worm’s alimentary canal.
Next the biologist may question how the nutrients are absorbed, stored and metabolized by the
cells that make up the organism.
Scientists also spend a considerable amount of time studying the neurobiology of feeding in much
simpler animals like roundworms. Roundworms are great model organisms because of their
neurological simplicity - only 309 nerve cells make up the entire organism.
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BIOL 203 Fundamental Nutrition
Lesson 1 - Introduction to Fundamental Nutrition
[What about Human Nutrition?]
But this of course is not a course about plant or worm nutrition. We care about human nutrition.
Toward this end we must define what is the science of human nutrition.
The science of nutrition is the study of the nutrients and other substances in food and the body’s
handling of them.
The science of human nutrition is a relatively young science which explains why scientists often
back pedal and make new recommendations for healthy eating. This makes nutrition a dynamic
science. Furthermore, an exciting new sub-discipline or sister discipline, has recently emerged
known as nutritional genomics. Nutritional genomics is the science of how nutrients affect gene
expression.
With entire human genome sequenced we now have the missing puzzle pieces –the genes-- that
allow us to ask: how do nutrients affect the gene activity? Followed by: how do genes affects rates
of diet-related diseases. Having identified and located the 25,000 genes in the human genome,
scientists can now attempt to complete the puzzle.
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