Micronutrient_Analysis

Micronutrient Analysis Jessika Canales Diaz University of Phoenix SCI/220 Prof. Victoria Alemán 04/9/10 University of Phoenix Material Micronutrient Analysis Name: Complete the table below. For each micronutrient listed, describe its function and identify common food sources. Then, review your Personal One-Day Intake Log and identify foods that provide substantial amounts of micronutrients. You do not need to identify every micronutrient found in every piece of food. List those foods in the My Food Choices column corresponding to the micronutrients they contain. Micronutrient | Function | Common Sources | My Food Choices | A | Is essential for normal vision, growth and development, and a healthy immune system.  | Milk, liver, fish, cheese, butter, and eggs. | Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, spinach, cantaloupe, and broccoli. | C | Most important role is synthesizing collagen, the building block of new tissue. When we get a wound, we need C to heal. It enhances immunity and lessens the severity and duration of the common cold. | Green leafy vegetables, cantaloupe, peppers, and tomatoes. | Citrus, berries, kiwis, mango | D | For healthy bones. It helps you absorb the mineral calcium. | Milk, liver, fish, and eggs. | milk | E | Has antioxidant activity and affects muscle development, neurological function, and immune system integrity. E is a component of cell membranes and protects the cell from free radical damage and destruction, thereby protecting against aging, cancer, and other degenerative diseases. | Vegetable oils, fish oils, nuts, whole grains, wheat germ, soy, green leafy vegetables, and avocados. | Avocados | K | For blood clotting, s also synthesized by friendly bacteria in the intestine. | Green leafy vegetables, liver, and whole wheat. | Vegetables | Thiamin (B1) | Nervous system and muscle functioning; flow of electrolytes in and out of nerve and muscle cells through ion channels; multiple enzyme processes via the coenzyme thiamin pyrophosphate; carbohydrate metabolism; and production of hydrochloric acid which is necessary for proper digestion. | Beef, brewer's yeast, legumes beans, lentils, milk, nuts, oats, oranges, pork, rice, seeds, wheat, whole grain cereals. | Nuts | Riboflavin (B2) | It plays a key role in energy metabolism, and for the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. |  Milk, cheese, leafy green vegetables, liver, kidneys, legumes, tomatoes, yeast, mushrooms, and almonds. | Asparagus, banana, persimmons, okra, chard, cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, meat, eggs, fish, and green beans. | Niacin | Niacin assists in the functioning of the digestive system, skin, and nerves. It is also important for the conversion of food to energy. | Organ meats, brewer's yeast, milk, legumes, peanuts | Milk, legumes, peanuts, | Biotin | Helps in metabolizing fats, proteins & carbohydrates with additional research indicating beneficial uses to fight type two diabetic, nails and hair loss. | Liver, cauliflower, cheese, eggs, mushrooms, spinach, chicken breast, salmon. | Chicken breast, romaine lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and Swiss chard. | B6 | Helps the immune system produce antibodies. Also helps maintain normal nerve function and form red blood cells. The body uses it to help break down proteins. | Salmon, potatoes, banana and avocado | Chicken and watermelon | Folate | Works along with vitamin B12 and vitamin C to help the body break down, use, and create new proteins. The vitamin helps form red blood cells and helps produce DNA, the building block of the human body, which carries genetic information. | Asparagus, spinach, lentils and black-eyed peas. | Romaine lettuce and great grain cereal. | B12 | It helps in the formation of red blood cells and in the maintenance of the central nervous system. | Liver , clams oysters, lobster | Yogurt , cornflakes | Potassium | Muscle activity, nerve transmission; intracellular acid-base balance and water retention. | Milk, bananas, prunes, raisins. | Milk, bananas. | Calcium | Bone and tooth formation, blood coagulation, neuromuscular irritability, muscle contractility, myocardial conduction. | Milk and milk products, meat, fish, eggs, cereal products, beans, fruits, vegetables. | Milk. | Magnesium | Bone and tooth formation, nerve conduction, muscle contraction, enzyme activation. | Green leaves , cereal grains, seafood’s. | Nuts | Phosphorous | Bone and tooth formation, acid-base balance, component of nucleic acids, energy production. | Milk, meat, poultry, fish, cereals, nuts, legumes. | Cheese | Iron | Hemoglobin, myoglobin formation, enzymes | soybean flour, beef, kidney, liver, beans, clams | Peaches | Zinc | DNA synthesis and function. Protein metabolism, wound healing, and growth. Immune function. Development of sexual organs and bones. Storage, release, and function of insulin. Cell membrane structure and function. Indirect antioxidant as a component of two forms of superoxide dismutase, an enzyme that aids in the prevention of oxidative damage to cells. | Oysters, lambs peanuts. | Sun flower seeds, ricotta cheese. | Selenium | Reduce damage to cell membranes from electron-seeking, free-radical (oxidizing) compounds. Selenium also contributes to thyroid hormone metabolism and other functions. | Tuna, clams, salmon | Sirloin steak, oatmeal | Please answer each of the following questions with a maximum of 200 words. 1. What micronutrients are missing from your diet' What foods, that you enjoy, could you eat to supply these nutrients' Despite the small quantities needed these are essential to provide a healthy diet as they have specific roles in metabolic reactions and as structural components. Eating too many fatty, sugary foods that have very few micronutrients will not just make me get fat and cause numerous degenerative diseases. If I keep eating the wrong foods reprieving me of many vitamins, minerals and amino acids that are essential for health. I feel, that I live in a fast paced society in which even if we try with our best intentions. We do not always have time to take care of our health nutrition the way they should. For instance it is easier to grab a croissant or a muffin in the morning than instead of preparing a nutritious whole food breakfast, especially if we start work very early.  I have to recognize that I don’t consume all the necessary micronutrients. But I always take a nutrition supplements on my daily basics. Micronutrients, which might be missing from my diet, are vitamins C, E, A, K and B complex is particularly important to health. I will make sure make sure to take nutritional supplements with selenium, copper, zinc and essential fatty acids. I enjoy foods lake avocado, milk, some vegetables but do not like liver. 2. Micronutrient deficiencies can have many negative effects on your health. What long-term effects can you anticipate if your current deficiencies continue' The adverse effects of micronutrient deficiencies are profound and include premature death, poor health, blindness, growth stunting, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and low work capacity. Vitamin and other micronutrient deficiencies can have dangerous side effects. The following list is just a small sample of some common micronutrient deficiencies and their effects. Calcium, this mineral is essential for healthy bones and strong teeth. A lack of calcium can lead to muscle aches, pains and spasms, and eventually to osteoporosis. Omega-3 fatty acids, these are critical during major developmental stages of someone’s life. A lack of omega-3s has been linked to depression and aggression. Vitamin A deficiencies can lead to dry hair and skin and broken fingernails. Being vitamin A deficient also decreases your ability to fight infection, and is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children. Vitamin B-12, deficiency of this vitamin can cause neurological disorders similar to Alzheimer’s and dementia as well as anemia, or a lack of iron in the blood. Vitamin D, deficiency can cause osteoporosis in the elderly and rickets in children. This deficiency, which is so prevalent it has been dubbed as the silent epidemic, its also linked to cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disorders. 3. List, and explain, five specific ways consuming the right amounts of micronutrients can positively affect your long-term health and aging. a. Enhancing immune function b. Aiding digestion c. Improving circulation d. Improving brain function e. Aiding elimination of wastes. Adequate intakes of micronutrients are required for the immune system to function efficiently. Micronutrient deficiency suppresses immunity by affecting antibody responses, leading to imbalances in the immune system. This situation increases susceptibility to infections, which increases disease and death risk. In addition, infections aggravate micronutrient deficiencies by reducing nutrient intake, increasing losses, and interfering with utilization by altering metabolic pathways. Inadequate intakes of micronutrients are common in people with eating disorders, smoker’s active and also passive, individuals with chronic alcohol abuse, certain diseases, during pregnancy and lactation, and in the elderly. Micronutrients contribute to the body's natural defenses on three levels by supporting physical impediment of skin mucosa, cellular immunity, and antibody production. Vitamins A, C, E, and the mineral zinc assist in enhancing the skin barrier function. Vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and folic acid, and the minerals iron, zinc, copper and selenium work synergistically to support the protective activities of the immune cells. Finally, all these micronutrients, with the exception of vitamin C and iron, are essential for the production of antibodies. References Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1998. Hamrick I, Counts SH. Vitamin and mineral supplements. Wellness and Prevention. December 2008:35(4);729-747. Rakel D, ed. Integrative Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. Mason JB. Vitamins, trace minerals, and other micronutrients. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 237. University of Phoenix EBOOK COLLECTION:  Wardlaw, G. & Smith A. (2009). Contemporary nutrition (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Chapter 8-9 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY: I certify that the attached paper is my original work. I affirm that any section of the paper which has been submitted previously is attributed and cited as such, and that this paper has not been submitted by anyone else. I confirm that I have cited all sources from which I used language, ideas, and information, whether quoted verbatim or paraphrased. Any assistance I received while producing this paper has been acknowledged in the References section. I have obtained written permission or have included a release from the copyright holder for any trademarked material, logos, images from the Internet, or other sources. I further agree that my name typed on the line below is intended to have, and shall have, the same validity as my handwritten signature.   Student's signature (name typed here is equivalent to a signature): Jessika Canales Diaz_