MACROMOLECULES

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MACROMOLECULES
OR WHY DO WE EAT?
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FOOD
1. Provides energy for all of the bodys
functions, from the beating of the heart the
elimination of wastes to the transmission of
electrical chemical signals in the nervous
system. Food is the fuel that contains energy
from the sun, originally captured stored by
green plants, then passed along to fruits, seeds,
animals. Humans eat these foods burn the
fuel they contain to release the stored solar
energy. As long as we live, we have to eat and
eat often!
Text from Eating Well for Optimum Health
Andrew Weil, MD
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2. Food provides the building blocks of our
bodies. In the same way that you cant build a
lego castle without lego pieces, you cant build
the parts of your body without certain nutrients.
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The food we eat contain nutrients. Some of these
we disassemble and then reassemble for parts we
need. (Like breaking down the lego castle to
build a lego ship instead.) Some nutrients are
essential because we cant manufacture these on
our own.
Macromolecules come in 4 types. All
macromolecules are organic which means they are
produced made by living things.
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic acids
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CARBOHYDRATES
All carbs are made up of only 3 elements Carbon,
hydrogen, oxygen.
All carbs look like this in their simplest form.
By the way, this is called a simple sugar or
monosaccharide. mono one saccharide sugar
But remember I said that you can use these guys
as building blocks. Well if you put a two of
them together you get this. Its called a
disaccharide. Di two
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And if you string a bunch of monosaccharides
together you get a polysaccharide. They look
like this.
Luckily they have the same general shape
(hexagonal) and they are all carbohydrates ?.
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WHY ARE CARBOHYDRATES IMPORTANT?
They are the bodys preferred choice of energy
. Just like your favorite shirt, you could wear
the other shirt, but this one fits over your head
without tugging.
WHAT FOODS CONTAIN CARBOHYDRATES?
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Lets review carbohydrates.
Why do you need to eat them?
What foods contain carbs?
List the 3 elements that are contained in
carbohydrates.
Which of the following is a polysaccharide?
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LIPIDS
Lipids contain 3 elements carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen.Sounds familiar right!
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Fats are triglycerides which are solid at room
temperature. Oils are liquid at room temperature.
Why are lipids important to our bodies?

1. Storage of energy. This way if you run low on
   carbs..

2. Thermal insulation.
3. Mechanical protection. Example surrounding
delicate organs such as the heart.
4. Waterproofing. Like the wax in your ears.
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Some fats are called phospholipids. They look
like this.
Basically , the difference is that instead of 3
fatty acids and one glycerol, they have 2 fatty
acids and a glycerol.
The also have an end that loves to be in water
and a side that repels water.
Two layers together is a perfect way to surround
a cell or a cell part!
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Also, by the way, some hormones are lipids.
WHAT CAN YOU EAT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE LIPIDS?
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Review time.
What 3 elements make up the group called lipids?
Which of these are a lipid? How can you tell?
List 3 ways your body uses lipids.
What foods contain lipids?
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PROTEINS
Proteins are composed of 4 elements carbon,
hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. The basic unit is
called an amino acid and it looks like this.
This is a 3-D image of a protein containing
thousands of amino acids connected together
folded to make this distinct shape.
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WHY DO YOU NEED TO EAT PROTEINS?
Proteins make up most of the structure of your
body. Actually, by weight, you are mostly water
with proteins in second place.
These are muscle cells.
This is someone with big muscles.
Hair is also made up of protein.
Proteins can be enzymes these proteins regulate
chemical reactions in your body.
Go go go or Stop stop stop
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Proteins also form some of the entrances and
exits through the cell.
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WHICH FOODS PROVIDE PROTEINS IN OUR DIET?
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Review again? Of course!!!!
1. Which of the following suspects is a protein
component?
2. List some foods that provide proteins?
3. How does my body use proteins?
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NUCLEIC ACIDS
Nucleic acids make up DNA and RNA which are
gigantic molecules that carry your hereditary
information from generation to generation and are
used to make proteins (remember them).
Nucleic acids are make up of lots of nucleotides
(the smallest units) strung together. DNA takes
the shape of a double helix.
We will learn a lot more about nucleic acids
later!!!!
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What is a condensation reaction?

• Reaction used to link monomers to build polymers
  by the removal of water.
• All macromolecules are built using this reaction!

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VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Micronutrients are nutrients you need in small
amounts. (Thats why theyre called micro.?)
All natural vitamins are organic food substances
found only in living things. With few exceptions,
our bodies cant manufacture them. Many enzymes
depend on vitamins to work properly.
Minerals are inorganic substances such as
calcium, iron, and salt that we need for such
basic functions as muscles and nerves firing.
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WATER makes up more than half the weight of the
human body. Without water, humans would die in a
few days. All the cell and organ functions
depend on water for functioning. It serves as a
lubricant and forms the base for saliva and the
fluids that surround the joints. It regulates
the body temperature, as the cooling heating
are distributed through perspiration. Water
helps to alleviate constipation by moving food
through in the intestinal tract thereby
eliminate waste.
Dehydration is a lack of adequate body fluids for
the body to carry on normal body functions.
Fluid loss of 5 are considered mild, 10
moderate and up to 15 severe. Severe
dehydration can result in cardiovascular collapse
and death if not treated quickly. Symptoms
sunken eyes, dry or sticky mucus membranes in the
mouth, skin lacks normal elasticity, decreased
urination, decreased tears.
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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DONT GET THE NUTRIENTS YOU
NEED?
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Kwashiorkor
Meeting energy requirements is basic to survival
A diet with excessive nonprotein calories from
starch or sugar, but deficient in total protein
and essential amino acids, results eventually in
kwashiorkor. Kwashiorkor is characterized by
generalized edema, "flaky paint' dermatosis,
thinning and discolouration of the hair, enlarged
fatty liver, and apathy in addition to retarded
growth.
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Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder associated
with a distorted body image. Inadequate calorie
intake results in severe weight loss.
Symptoms Weight loss of 25 or more, cold
intolerance, constipation menstruation absent,
skeletal muscle atrophy, low blood pressure,
dental cavities, increased susceptibility to
infection, blotchy or yellow skin, dry hair, hair
loss and sometimes death.
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Cheese pizza diet causes scurvy in 5-year-old
July 17, 2000 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When
it was discovered that sailors away at sea could
stop their gums from bleeding by sucking on a
lime, one of the first links between disease--in
this case, a vitamin C deficiency--and diet
became apparent. But a recent report illustrates
that even modern-day children anchored at home
are vulnerable to scurvy--a vitamin C deficiency
that causes bleeding gums, loose teeth, muscle
degeneration and weakness. In one case, a
5-year-old boy ate nothing but Pop-Tarts, cheese
pizza, biscuits and water for 5 months, according
to a report in the July issue of the Archives of
Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. He refused
fruits, vegetables, juices and vitamins. The
result? A case of scurvy--a disease seldom seen
in developed countries today.
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While the boy was playful, alert and appeared to
be growing normally, he developed a limp and was
diagnosed with anemia. His gums became swollen
and he developed small, purple spots on his skin.
Eventually, the pain was so severe he was unable
to get out of bed or walk without assistance.
After ruling out leukemia or other ailments, the
doctors diagnosed the youngster with a severe
vitamin C deficiency, most likely caused by his
unusual diet. The doctors gave the boy vitamin
C, which improved his pain and symptoms within a
week.