Sugar and fats get a bad rap, why? Yet, sugar and fats are important in daily metabolism.
I’ll begin with my feelings toward sugar. It’s insanely delicious. Sweets make me happy and hit all the pleasure centers in my brain. On the other side of that coin is the fact that it’s greatly addictive, grievously debilitating and, sad to say, definitively pervasive – Believe me. Then there’s fat. When it comes to taste, fat is memorable, worth reminiscing over – fats burn themselves into my memory.
Your body has a memory, your cells have an affinity fat and sugar and they will ask for more once they get a taste. What’s wrong with this? Your body needs fat and sugar to keep your energy up, to pace your metabolism and keep you warm on cold nights –
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When do we cross that line from good fat and sugar for fuel to sugar binges and deposits of cellulite? When fats and sugar are broken down, you get to carbohydrates, which are all about energy and are found in foods that we consider to be healthy like fruits, vegetables, breads, pasta, and dairy products. These foods to make glucose, which is your body’s main source of energy. Glucose is a type of sugar. Anything with an “ose” at the end of it is sugar that can be used right away for energy to build or stored up for later to keep you from metabolizing your muscle. This is a good thing.
Let’s talk about how sugars and fats are important for energy in human nutrition. Focus your answers not just on the "function" of macronutrients but also on the "structure" of macronutrients. There is a strong relationship between "structure" and "function" in life, macronutrients are no exception. Focus your discussion on structure of carbohydrates and fats in the context of function. Think structure first, function
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Lipoproteins! High-density lipoproteins and low-density lipoproteins. HDL and LDL are classifications that sort fat by density, mobility, size and content. These much discussed, least understood fats are what you should watch for when making food choices. HDL’s are the good and LDL’s the bad. Ugg, why? HDL takes excess cholesterol to your liver to be tossed into your waste. Hence, it won’t end up in your arteries. LDL takes cholesterol right to your arteries, where it may collect in artery walls creating all sorts of problems including depriving your body of oxygen and circulating deadly blood clots.
Discuss blood glucose control? What organ(s) and hormones are involved in blood glucose control at the cellular level?
Sugar, Carbohydrates, Glucose… The body’s cells soak up glucose with help from the hormone insulin. Insulin is manufactured in the pancreas. Inside those cells, glucose fuels chemical reactions that produce energy. Some of the carbs you eat aren’t used right away, so they’re stored as glycogen. That glycogen is used for energy between meals.
What is fiber? Why is it important in the
Our body obtains the energy by digesting the carbohydrates into glucose. Volumes of glucose are required by the body to create ATP. ATP is short for 'Adenosine Triphosphate ' and is an energy carrier. When we consume too many carbohydrates our body produces a lot of glucose and as a result blood glucose levels rise and sometimes they may rise over the normal range of blood glucose concentration. To bring it back within the healthy range, the homeostatic system of blood glucose regulation is used. The blood flows through the pancreas where the beta cells, receptors, detect the high blood glucose level. To counteract this stimuli beta cells alert the control centre, which are also the beta cells located in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. The secretion of insulin has to be done quickly but can only be carried out when insulin gene is switched on. Turning on the insulin gene switch can take 30 minutes to an hour therefore, the production of insulin by beta cells are done in advance and are packaged in vesicles right until blood glucose rises. Glucose comes into the beta cell to trigger the vesicle that contains the insulin to move towards the plasma membrane and fuse. This releases the insulin into the bloodstream where they are distributed throughout the body and only affect specific target cells. The receptor, a protein, on the target cell’s plasma membrane recognises and connects
The use of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contributes drastically to obesity. In the normal process of glucose consumption the pancreas responds by producing insulin to transport sugar to the body cells to use as energy. It then stimulates the production of the hormone leptin, which regulates appetite and fat storage, and suppresses production of the hormone ghrelin. When properly functioning, these hormones serve to regulate food intake and cause hunger to dissipate. However, fructose (the most commodious substance in HFCS)
In this lecture, it talks about fat and how it affects us and our bodies. There are two main different types of fat, saturated and unsaturated. Many types of saturated fat are found in meat and dairy products. These fats are hard to break down for cells, because of this, they tend to get tucked away and build up over time if worked off. Unsaturated fats are found in olive oil and other plant oils. These types of fat are readily consumed for energy.
The body breaks down various carbohydrate foods (whether simple or complex) into glucose, which is used easily for energy or saved away in muscles and fat stores for later use. Carbs are the body’s preferred, No. 1 energy source. However, they aren’t the only macronutrient that supplies energy to cells. This is why it’s possible to follow a low-carb diet and still have enough energy, endurance and muscular strength. However, special care should be taken in relation to Refined and processed carbs which release glucose (sugar) into the bloodstream more quickly, leading to symptoms like low energy levels, cravings, overeating, weight gain and brain fog. Eating lots of processed/fast carbs can also increase risk for insulin resistance and diabetes. “Slow carbs” like veggies, whole pieces of fruit, ancient grains and legumes provide a slower release of glucose and better supply of energy for our cells that lasts for
In order for the body to maintain homeostatic levels of energy, blood glucose regulation is essential. Glucose is one of the body’s principal fuels. It is an energy-rich monosaccharide sugar that is broken down in our cells to produce adenosine triphosphate. In the small intestine, glucose is absorbed into the blood and travels to the liver via the hepatic portal vein. The hepatocytes absorb much of the glucose and convert it into glycogen, an insoluble polymer of glucose. Glycogen, which is stored in the liver and skeletal muscles, can easily be reconverted into glucose when blood-glucose levels fall. All of the body’s cells need to make energy but most can use other fuels such as lipids. Neurons; however, rely almost exclusively on glucose for their energy. This is why the maintenance of blood-glucose levels is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system.
“Sugar addiction is a rapidly growing epidemic (Teitelbaum, 2010).” According to researchers, on average an individual consumes one-hundred pounds of sugar each year. Americans spend billions of dollars a year on gym memberships, healthy foods and beverages, and exercise equipment. Despite the economic strain, Americans continue to make room in their budgets for weight loss products.
In contrast with the “good fat”, there is also a negative, which is the “bad fat”. Saturated fat, which is considered the “bad fat”, has been linked to high cholesterol and heart disease. It is mostly found in milk and other milk products. Therefore, the low fat diet encourages its participants to reduce saturated fat for it is the main cause of high cholesterol level. On the other hand, even though low carbohydrate diets do not state that carbohydrates are bad; they do state that it causes weight gain; this idea gives most Americans that it is bad because it causes a person to gain weight.
Probably some of the most pleasurable and enjoyable memories of a person has to do with sweets. When thinking back to birthdays, there is always the memory of the wonderful cake that mother beautifully made and decorated with frosting and glazes. A typical night out with dad can be transformed into a magical evening with a trip to the ice cream parlor. The end of a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner turns heavenly when a hot apple pie is brought to the table and topped with delicious, melting vanilla ice cream. A good wedding is never complete without the cutting of the splendid multi-level wedding cake, when the happy new couple gets to playfully shove and smear cake and white frosting into each other’s smiling faces. Everyone knows that as a child, the only good part about going to the dentist is getting the candy bar at the end of the visit. Why do some people get sick after eating too much suger? Some people do not even know that the abuse of sugar can lead to negative effects on your body. There is something strangely enjoyable and resplendent about the consumption of sugar. Why is it that sugar is so deliciously enjoyable and at the same time a food product that has many negative affects on people’s health?
Blood glucose levels are the measurement of glucose in an individual’s blood. This is important because glucose is the body’s main source of fuel and the brains only source of fuel. Without energy from glucose the cells would die. Glucose homeostasis is primarily controlled in the liver, muscle, and fat where it stored as glycogen. The pancreas is also a significant organ that deals with glucose. The pancreas helps regulate blood glucose levels. Alpha-islet and beta-islet pancreatic cells measure blood glucose levels and they also regulate hormone release. Alpha cells produce glucagon and beta cells produce insulin. The body releases insulin in response to elevated blood glucose levels to allow the glucose inside of cells and
Food addiction and obesity Addictive drugs like nicotine, cocaine and heroin, all can rewire the brain to crave the satisfaction that these agents produce. The desire becomes so strong that it starts to take over the body and it no longer becomes for pleasure and it becomes a need for your body. Now likewise, some people argue that some foods have the same power and effects on people that drugs do, where some of these foods can alter the brain in a way that resets the appetite and satisfaction threshold in a way that it’s out of reach, meaning a person can never have enough. Obesity levels these days are semi-dangerous, so some doctors have conducted an experiment that tested the effects of some foods on the brain, where they took 12 obese men after they consumed two milkshakes, with the same amount of calories, protein, fat and carbohydrates, and they were equally sweet. (Sifferlin 2013)
When one or several lipids combine with proteins this forms lipoproteins, these transport fat throughout the bloodstream. High-density lipoproteins, also known as HDL, carry fat away from body cells, therefore preventing its growth in the artery walls. Low-Density Lipoproteins, also known as LDL, contain a high amount of cholesterol and seem to help the build up of fatty materials in the artery walls. The situation that you should go for would be high HDL and low LDL levels. Your goal should be to keep your overall cholesterol at below 200, with LDL lower than 40, and your HDL should be at around 160. This will lower the risk of heart disease and other related problems with cholesterol.
When a person gains weight, they think the main cause is the fat that is included in the food they eat. They are terribly mistaken. According to the video Hungry for Change, they say, “ In the 1900’s, an average person only consumed about 15g of sugar a day. But in the present, modern adults consumes 70-80g of sugar a day, and teens consumes about 120-150g”. Sugar is not only a unhealthy diet and obesity, but it is the main cause of overweight. Sugar does not contain fat, but when people eat more calories than they burn, the remaining calories stays as fat. By being overweight, it can impact a person’s entire quality of life. In the physical health, the right kind of food gives you the strength and energy to make it through in your everyday lifestyle. In other words, by eating the wrong kind of foods, you won't get the energy you need in your life. In the mental/emotional health, a little stress is good for your body because it gives ...
Carbohydrates are the main source of glucose, which is a major fuel for all of the body's cells and the only source of energy for the brain and red cells. Except for fiber, which cannot be digested, both simple and complex carbohydrates are converted into glucose. The glucose is then either used directly to provide energy for the body, or stored in the liver for future use. When a person consumes more calories than the body is using, a portion of the carbohydrates consumed may also be stored in the body as fat.
But take note, just take the right amount of food only to sustain the needs of your body to keep going, too much is not good for your body