![]() The process of digestion begins in the mouth with the intake of food ( Figure 1). The rise in obesity and the resulting diseases like type 2 diabetes makes understanding the role of diet and nutrition in maintaining good health all the more important. Taking in more food energy than is used in activity leads to storage of the excess in the form of fat deposits. One of the challenges in human nutrition is maintaining a balance between food intake, storage, and energy expenditure. This happens by both physical means, such as chewing, and by chemical means. During digestion, food particles are broken down to smaller components, which are later absorbed by the body. The conversion of the food consumed to the nutrients required is a multistep process involving digestion and absorption. ![]() Animals must convert these macromolecules into the simple molecules required for maintaining cellular function. ![]() However, the food consumed consists of protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates. At the cellular level, the biological molecules necessary for animal function are amino acids, lipid molecules, nucleotides, and simple sugars. While plants can obtain nutrients from their roots and the energy molecules required for cellular function through the process of photosynthesis, animals obtain their nutrients by the consumption of other organisms. ![]() Theme 4: How Do Diet, Exercise and Weight Affect Health?Īll living organisms need nutrients to survive. ![]()
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