INTRODUCTION

• Nutritional science encompasses a wide variety of scientific disciplines
• Three main categories of nutritional science are: clinical, community, and molecular nutrition
• Molecular Nutrition includes:

  • Nutritional biochemistry
  • Nutritional metabolomics
  • Nutritional genomics
• Clinical Nutrition includes:

  • Nutrition and health
  • Nutrition and disease
  • Diet therapy
• Community Nutrition includes:

  • Food choices
  • Food & nutrition policy
  • Nutritional epidemiology
  • Nutritional education & intervention
  • Food security
• Sports Nutrition includes:

  • Nutrition and performance
  • Nutrition and recovery
  • Diet
• Nutrients are substances in foods used by the body for energy, maintenance of body structure, or regulation of chemical processes
• Foods with high levels of nutrients are more nutritious
• Not all compounds in foods are nutrients
• Macronutrients vs. micronutrients:

  • Macronutrients are needed in relatively large quantities and include carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids (fats)
  • Micronutrients are needed in relatively small quantities and include vitamins and minerals
• All nutrient classes are involved in energy production
• Energy is the capacity of a physical system to do work
• Carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids contain chemical energy that can be transferred into ATP to power processes in the body
• Calories:

  • The amount of energy in foods is measured in calories
  • 1 calorie is a very small amount of energy, so energy content is typically expressed in kilocalories (kcal)
  • 1 Calorie is equivalent to 1000 calories or 1 kilocalorie
• Nutrition is the science of how living organisms obtain and use food to support all processes required for their existence and prevent disease
• Nutritionist is trained in the field of nutrition and deals with healthy individuals
• Dietetics is the study of nutrition as it relates to disease
• Dietitian is trained in the field of dietetics and deals with patients
• Sports Nutritionist applies principles from biochemical and physiological knowledge to promote optimal human performance, recovery, and body composition
• Professions related to nutrition include:

  • Audiologists
  • Dietitians
  • Entomologists
  • Physiotherapists
  • Medical physicists
  • Nutritionists
  • Clinical scientists
  • Occupational therapists
  • Speech-language therapists
  • Radiation therapists
  • Diagnostic radiographers
  • Medical laboratory technologists
  • Dental technologists
  • Environmental health officers
  • Health education officers
  • Food service officers
  • Forensic science officers
  • Medical social officers
• Institutions in Malaysia granting qualifications in Nutrition and Dietetics
• Malaysian Dietary Guidelines:

  • Eat a variety of foods within recommended intake
  • Maintain a healthy body weight
  • Be physically active daily
  • Eat adequate amounts of rice, other cereal products, fruits, and vegetables
  • Consume moderate amounts of fish, meat, poultry, eggs, legumes, and nuts
  • Consume adequate amounts of milk and milk products
  • Limit intake of foods high in fats and sugars
  • Choose foods with less salt and sauces
  • Drink plenty of water daily
  • Practice exclusive breastfeeding
  • Consume safe and clean foods and beverages
• Nutritional science encompasses a wide variety of scientific disciplines
• Three main categories of nutritional science are: clinical, community, and molecular nutrition
• Nutritional science reflects a broad spectrum of academic and social disciplines related to nutrition
• Molecular Nutrition includes:

  • Nutritional biochemistry
  • Nutritional metabolomics
  • Nutritional genomics
• Clinical Nutrition covers:

  • Nutrition and health
  • Nutrition and disease
  • Diet therapy
• Community Nutrition involves:

  • Food choices
  • Food & nutrition policy
  • Nutritional epidemiology
  • Nutritional education & intervention
  • Food security
• Sports Nutrition focuses on:

  • Nutrition and performance
  • Nutrition and recovery
  • Diet
• Nutrients are substances in foods used by the body for energy, maintenance of body structure, or regulation of chemical processes
• Foods with high levels of nutrients are more nutritious
• Not all compounds in foods are nutrients
• Macronutrients are nutrients needed in relatively large quantities, including:

  • Carbohydrates
  • Proteins
  • Lipids (fats)
• Micronutrients are nutrients needed in relatively small quantities, such as:

  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
• All nutrient classes are involved in energy production
• Carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids contain chemical energy
• Energy from nutrients can be transferred into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to power processes in the body
• Calories measure the amount of energy in foods
• 1 calorie is a very small amount of energy, so energy content is typically expressed in kilocalories (kcal)
• 1 Calorie is equivalent to 1000 calories or 1 kilocalorie