BCH 580: BIOCHEMISTRY OF HUMAN NUTRITION

To understand the biochemical concepts emphasizing biochemical and physiological fundamentals of nutrition. The course presents an integrated approach to the roles of protein, fat, carbohydrate, energy, minerals, and vitamins in metabolism and their relationships to nutritional concepts.
Caloric significance of diets. Metabolic energy of carbo­hydrates, lipids, and proteins. Total energy requirement and its expenditure. Importance of fiber in the diet. Vitamins: their absorption, excretion, functions, assay methods, and daily needs. Vitamin malabsorption. Vitamin antagonists. Minerals in food and their importance in nutrition. Evaluation of fresh and preserved foods. Balanced diets. Application of nutrition to critical periods throughout the life span. Nutrition in pregnancy and lactation. Diets in some diseases. Body weight control with reference to nutrition (e.g. obesity, underweight, anorexia nervosa). Diets in some inborn errors of metabolism (e.g. galactosemia, diabetes, phenylketonuria, maple syrup urine disease.