Nutrition and Metabolism

Full course description

Nutrition is a multidisciplinary science that covers the role of food in health and disease. The food we eat directly affects metabolism. Advances in nutritional biochemistry have increased the focus of nutrition on several metabolic pathways in order to improve understanding of how nutrients influences health and the development of diet related diseases. In this course, the student will become familiar with the chemical structure and metabolism of nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins and minerals. Once they are obtained by diet, the student will be able to comprehend the processes that turn nutrients into available energy and how our body uses the different sources of energy. How fasting and fed states affect metabolism, catabolism and anabolism? The sensation/feeling of satiety is led by the release of a hormone called leptin. What if we have impaired action of leptin? What energy sources do our body use when we are fasted, or just after a meal? In which conditions our adipose tissue becomes a source of energy? All these transformations occurs by the orchestrated action of several hormones and enzymes. These and other functions of our metabolism will be covered by this course. The student will learn how diet, lifestyle and health states can affect our metabolism, physiology and overall health.