Nutrients and Enzymes

• This theory suggests that the actual shape of the active site is altered slightly when the substrate molecules are trapped.
• The addition of positively charged H+ ions (characteristic of an acidic solution) or negatively charged OH- ions (characteristic of basic solutions) will affect the hydrogen bonds.
• Enzymes are proteins, and at high temperatures proteins are denatured.
• The active site (binding site) of the enzyme is the area that joins with the substrate molecule.
• Factors that affect enzyme reactions include temperature, pH, substrate molecules, and inhibitor molecules.
• Proteins can supply energy to cells however it is not their main function, and proteins are composed of 20 different amino acid building blocks.
• Fats are a required part of your diet, providing 30% of total energy intake, contain twice the amount of energy as an equivalent mass of carbohydrates and protein, and weight gain is a result of energy input exceeding energy output (calories).
• Proteins are structural components of cells, mitochondria, ribosomes, muscles, nerves, skin, and hair is predominantly composed of protein, antibodies (help the body defend itself against disease) and enzymes (speed chemical reactions) are proteins, and proteins are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (just like carbohydrates and lipids) but they also contain nitrogen and most often sulfur molecules.
• Waxes are long chain fatty acids joined to long chain alcohols or to carbon rings, are stable, insoluble in water, and examples include waterproof coating on leaves (cuticle), animal feathers (ie.ducks), and fur (ie.otters, polar bears).
• Cholesterol is found naturally in the cell membranes, acts as raw materials for the synthesis of certain hormones, and the body obtains needed cholesterol from the fats consumed.
• LDLs, considered to be “bad” cholesterol, are about 70% of cholesterol intake, associated with clogging of arteries, removed from the blood via the liver and bind to receptor sites on cell membranes, and as levels of LDLs increase, the amount of available receptor sites decrease, causing the cholesterol to deposit in the arteries, causing plaque.
• Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and proteins are made from a.a.’s that are linked together, the order and number of a.a.’s, which is dictated by the organism's DNA, determines the type of protein.
• Phospholipids have a phosphate molecule (negatively charged) attached to the glycerol backbone of the molecule, providing the polar end of the molecule, making it soluble in water.
• Anabolic steroids are lipid-based substances produced by the cells of the body, many act as chemical messengers, regulating cell function, and anabolic steroids attach themselves to binding sites of muscle cell membranes causing them to grow and develop.
• Phospholipids have a hydrophilic head (attracted to water) and a hydrophobic tail (repels water).
• There are two types of cholesterol packaging: Low density lipoproteins (LDLs) and high density lipoproteins (HDLs).
• HDLs, considered to be “good” cholesterol, carry LDLs back to the liver to be broken down, hence lowering blood cholesterol levels, and exercise, fiber, cellulose, fish, olive oil all help to lower cholesterol levels.
• Cell membranes are an example of phospholipids.
• Cholesterol then gets transported in the blood to other parts of the body.
• Like carbohydrates and lipids, a water molecule is removed during the synthesis of protein (dehydration synthesis).