An Overview of Nutrition

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 Lecture Outline
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1. Food choices
2. The Nutrients
3. Dietary Reference intakes
4. Nutrition Assessment
5. Diet And Health
6. Why study Nutrition ?
7. Definitions
8. Summary

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 1. Food Choices

What influences our food choices ?

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Food Behaviour is Influenced by many Sources.

Media Childhood experiences

Peer influences Ethnic identity
Education Occupation
Income Rural-urban residence
Dietary fat, fibre and water Convenience, availability
content of foods
Food, flavour, texture and Religious beliefs
appearance
Nutritional knowledge Current health status
Health beliefs Genetics

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 2. The Nutrients
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 Water  Dissolves and carries
nutrients, removes waste
and regulates body
temperature
 Protein  Builds new tissues,
antibodies, enzymes,
hormones, and other
compounds
 Carbohydrate
 Provides energy

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 The Nutrients
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 Fat  Provides long term
energy, insulation and
 Vitamins protection
 Facilitate use of other
 Minerals
nutrients; involved in
regulating growth and
manufacturing
hormones
 Help build bones and
teeth; aid in muscle
function and nervous
system activity
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 The Six Classes of Nutrients
The Energy –Yielding Nutrients :Carbohydrates, Fat
Protein
 Energy measured in kcalories
 Energy from foods
 Energy in the body
 Other roles of energy yielding nutrients
- Fats :Supply some of the essential fatty acids
- Carbohydrates: Spare the body from using protein for
energy
- Protein: Dietary protein serves as the source of the 20
amino acids commonly found in tissues and are the
building blocks of cells , tissues, muscles and organs

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 The Six Classes of Nutrients

Vitamins:
• Exhibit a wide variety of chemical structures
and can contain the elements carbon ,hydrogen,
Nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus ,sulphur and others.

• Enable many chemical reactions to occur in the

body.

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 The Six Classes of Nutrients

Minerals:
• Inorganic substances which exist as groups
of one or more of the same atoms
• Play a major role in the :-
-functioning of the nervous system
-water balance
- Structural systems (skeletal)

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 The Six Classes of Nutrients

Water :-
• acts as a solvent and lubricant
• A medium for transporting nutrients and waste
within the body
• Regulates body temperature

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The Six Classes of Nutrients
 All nutrients are needed in the body
 No one food provides all the nutrients
 Nutrients work as a team

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 3. Dietary Reference Intakes
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Definition
A set of nutrient intake values for healthy people which
can be used to plan and assess diets. These nutrient
intake values are:
 Estimated Average requirements (EAR)
 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs)
 Adequate Intakes (AI)
 Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)

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 3. Dietary Reference Intakes
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Estimated Average Requirements (EAR)

The average daily amount of a nutrient that will maintain
a specific biochemical or physiological function in half
the healthy people of a given age and gender group
USE: assessing adequacy of estimated nutrient intakes of groups;a
tool for planning intakes for groups

Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs)

The average daily amount of a nutrient considered
adequate to meet the known nutrient needs of
practically all healthy people .
USE: guide for daily intake of individuals

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 3. Dietary Reference Intakes
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Adequate Intakes (AI)

The average daily amount of a nutrient that appears sufficient to
maintain a specified criterion.
USE:- it is used as a guide for daily nutrient intake when an RDA
cannot be established for individuals

Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)

The maximum daily amount of a nutrient that appears
safe for most healthy people and beyond which there is
an increase risk of adverse health effects
USE:- The UL is not intended to be a recommended level of intake.

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 3. Dietary Reference
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Intakes
B. Establishing Energy Recommendations
Estimated Energy Requirement (EER)
The average dietary energy intake that maintains energy balance
and good health in a person of a given age,gender, weight, height
and physical activity

Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR)

Ranges of intakes for the energy nutrients that provide adequate
energy and nutrients and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

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 4. Nutrition Assessment
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Definition
Nutrition assessment is the comprehensive analysis of a person’s
nutrition status that uses health, socio economic, drug and diet
histories; anthropometric measurements ; physical examinations ;
and laboratory tests.

Nutrition assessment can be conducted at the individual and

population (national) levels.

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 4. Nutrition Assessment
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A. Nutrition Assessment of Individuals
• Historical information
• Anthropometric measurements –height and weight measurements of
individuals
• Physical examinations
• Laboratory tests
B. Nutrition Assessment of Populations
Data is gathered by means of :
• National Nutrition Surveys – evaluate nutrition status; information
on type and quantity of food
consumed
• National Health Goals - evaluate health status of population in
relation to predetermined health goals
• National Trends - analysing nutrition health data over a specific
time period

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National Nutrition and Health Data

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 SURVEY OF IRON, IODINE AND VITAMIN A STATUS AND ANTIBODY LEVELS IN
GUYANA Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization FINAL REPORT
2013

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Iron Deficiency Anaemia Prevalence in Pregnancy

Pregnant women
 Overall prevalence - 41.3% overall
 Mild anaemia - 24.2% mild anaemia,
 Moderate anaemia - 16.7%
 Severe anaemia - 0.5% were
By Region/Area
 Hinterland areas - 34.1%
 Coastal rural - 45.1% I
 Urban areas - 40.9%

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 SURVEY OF IRON, IODINE AND VITAMIN A STATUS AND ANTIBODY LEVELS IN
GUYANA Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization FINAL REPORT
2013

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Iron Deficiency Anaemia Prevalence

Young Children
 Overall prevalence- 24.0%
By Area
 Urban - 21.8%
 Coastal - 25.9%
 Hinterland - 26.6%

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 SURVEY OF IRON, IODINE AND VITAMIN A STATUS AND
ANTIBODY LEVELS IN GUYANA Ministry of Health and the Pan
American Health Organization FINAL REPORT 2013

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Iron Deficiency Anaemia Prevalence In School

Children
By Region
• Overall prevalence- 20.8%
• Urban areas - 22.1%
• Coastal rural areas - 22.4%
• Hinterland areas - 15.3%
By Gender
• Males - 19.0%
• Females 22.8%

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 NUTRITIONAL STATUS:WOMEN AND MEN
Source: DHS 2009
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Weight Status of Women

 11% of the women were underweight (BMI <18.5) with
more than half of these below the age of 15 - 29 years

 Overweight and obesity (BMI ≥25.0) was seen in 48% of all

women and especially in older women 30 – 49 years.
.

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 NUTRITIONAL STATUS:WOMEN AND MEN
Source: DHS 2009
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Weight Status of Men

 About 12% of all men were underweight (BMI <18.5) with
about 47% of these being men 15-19 years old and 38%
from 20-29 years old.

 24% of men were overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9) while 9%

were obese (BMI 30.0 or higher).

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 5. Diet and Health
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A. Chronic Diseases
Diseases characterised by a slow progression and long duration eg diabetes ,
hypertension

A. Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases

Risk factors associated with chronic diseases include :
• obesity
• Cigarette smoking
• High blood pressure

• High blood cholesterol

• Physical inactivity
• A diet high in saturated fats and low in vegetables, fruits and whole grains

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Why Study Nutrition ?
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 6. Why Study Nutrition ?
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 To provide a good quality of life

 To be aware of the diet related risk factors for life
threatening chronic diseases and death
 To ensure adequate nutrient needs are met through out the
life cycle

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 7. Definitions
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Nutrition
Nutrition is the science of foods, the nutrients and
other substances therein , their action, interaction
and balance in relationship to health and disease;
the processes by which Individuals ingest, digest,
absorb, transport and utilise nutrients and disposes
of their end products.

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 Definitions
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Nutrients
Nutrients are the constituents in food that must be
supplied to the body in suitable amounts ; these
include water, proteins and the amino acids of they
are composed, fats and fatty acids ,carbohydrates,
minerals and vitamins

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 Definitions
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Nutritional Status
The state of the body resulting from the consumption
and utilization of nutrients. Clinical observations,
biochemical analyses, anthropometric measurements,
and dietary studies are used to determine the state

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 Definitions
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Nutritional Care
The application of the science and art of human
nutrition in helping people select and obtain food for
the primary purpose of nourishing their bodies in
health or disease through out the lifecycle.

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 Definitions
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Malnutrition
A state of poor health with symptoms that can be
clinically identified as being caused by inadequate
intake of one or more essential nutrients over a
sustained period of time

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 Definitions
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Health
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and
social well being and not merely the absence of
disease and infirmity. (WHO)

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 8. Summary
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Good nutrition:-
• Replaces lost nutrients
• maintains optimal body weight
• Improves health and well being

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 References
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1. Rolfes, S. R. and Whitney, E.N.: 2011 Understanding Nutrition; 12th

Edition Wadsworth CENAGE Learning

2. Food and Nutrition Board of Medicine:2006 Dietary Reference Intakes: The

Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements

3. Ministry of Health Guyana and the Pan American Health Organization

:2013,SURVEY OF IRON, IODINE AND VITAMIN A STATUS AND
ANTIBODY LEVELS IN GUYANA
4. Ministry of Health Guyana: 2009 DHS

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