Contents:
• Nutritional Needs by Age & Gender
• Functions of nutrients
• Consequences
-Deficiency in nutrients
-Excess nutrients
Why nutrients?
→People depend on nutrients in their diet because the
human body is not able to produce them in adequate
amounts.
→Being healthy = Good balanced diet
→Different gender and age have different nutritional
requirements.
→There are six major classes of nutrients found in
food: carbohydrates , proteins , lipids, vitamins (both
fat-soluble and water-soluble ), minerals and water
Nutritional requirement for adults
& elderly
Nutritional requirement for children
Functions
Nutrients
Vitamin A
(Retinol,
Commonly found in
Carrots, sweet potato,
acid, broccoli, spinach,
apricot
retinoic
carotenoids,carotene,
beta-carotene)
Functions
Vitamin A is needed for new
cell growth, healthy skin, hair,
and tissues, and vision.
-Fat-soluble
vitamin
that
helps you see normally in the
dark and promotes the
growth and health of all body
cells and tissues.
-Protects against infection by
the skin and tissues in the
mouth, stomach, intestines
and respiratory healthy
Vitamin D
(calciferol)
Exposure to sunlight,
fatty fish, mushrooms,
eggs, and meat
-Supports cell functions and
other
neuromuscular
functions in the body. By
controlling the supply of
calcium between the bones
and the blood, it supports
bone
mineralization
(hardening of bones) and
bone
remodelling
by
osteoblasts and osteoclasts
-Prevents rickets in children,
and osteoporosis in adults
-Combat prostate cancer and
high blood pressure etc
Calcium
Milk or dairy products
-Construction, formation and
maintenance of bones and
teeth
-Helps to control blood
pressure, nerve transmission,
and release of
neurotransmitters.
-An essential component in
the production of enzymes
and hormones that regulate
digestion, energy, and fat
metabolism.
Iron
Egg yolk, green leafy
vegetables, red meat
-Transport and storage of
oxygen.
-Aid in energy production and
cell diffusion.
-Helps the immune and
central nervous systems.
Folate
Green leafy vegetables, -Red blood cell production
spinach
and help prevent anemia
-Cell production esp skin
Deficiency
Nutrients
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Calcium
Deficiency
- Eye problems
(night blindness, dryness of the
conjunctiva and cornea)
- dry skin and hair
-susceptibility to colds, flu, bacterial and
viral infections
(especially the respiratory and urinary
tract)
-Rickets ( commonly 6-24 months of age)
- Osteomalacia (exclusively in adults)
- hypocalcaemia
-Constipation
- kidney stones
-soft bones (osteomalacia)
-Osteoporosis
In children,
- Rickets ( commonly 6-24 months of age)
- impaired growth
Cont’d
Iron
-Anemia
- worsening fatigue
(Inability to respond to stimulus)
Folate
-Pregnant women more likely to
give birth to :
• Low birth weight
• Premature infants
• Infants with neural tube defects
-megaloblastic anemia
(due to vitamin B12 or folic acid
deficiency)
Vitamin A
• Carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, broccoli,
spinach.
• Side Effects:
o Vision problems, birth defects, turn the colour
of skin to yellow/orange.
Vitamin D
• Exposure to sunlight, fatty fish such as herring,
mackerel, sardines and tuna.
• Side Effects:
o High blood pressure, heart diseases, kidney
failure, calcinosis.
Calcium
• Dairy products, cheese, tofu.
Side Effects:
o Constipation, hyperalcemia, kidney stones
Iron
• Lean red meat, shellfish (particularly oysters)
• Side Effects:
o Hemochromatosis, which can cause diabetes,
liver damage, and discoloration of the skin.
Folate
• Green leafy vegetables, dried beans and peas.
• Side Effects:
o keeps anti-convulsant medications (used for
epilepsy) from working properly (provoke
seizures), higher levels mask vitamin B12
deficiency.
References
• http://www.nutrition.com.sg/he/herda-chd.asp
• http://www.nutrition.com.sg/he/herda-adt.asp
• http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=
nutrient&dbid=63
• http://www.mamashealth.com/nutrition/iron.as
p
• http://www.bodybuilding4u.com/vitamins/vitami
n-a.htm
Thank you!