What is nutrition's application to health?

Answer 1

nutrition is the most important factor in health if you exclude genetic predispositions and contact with toxic (carcinogenic, poisonous, et cetera) chemicals. Many people believe exercise is the most important factor in health but the people that live the longest do not necessarily exercise. Exercise is important, but not as important as nutrition. Every vitamin is essential because the lack of a vitamin will eventually cause a disease or disorder; such as scurvy from a lack of vitamin C. Minerals are important because they are essential for proper bodily functions. Calcium is essential for bones, magnesium is essential for smooth muscle signals. The lack of magnesium can cause cardiac arrhythmia or arrest. Sodium chloride is essential for similar reasons and acts as an electrolyte like magnesium. It helps the body transfer electrical signals. The list is almost endless. Eating habits are also essential to health. If you eat sparingly or once every day, your body will go into a hibernation mode because of our caveman past. Our bodies are designed to store all incoming food after starvation as fat because it was our way of surviving 100,000 years ago. There is debate, but most nutritionists agree that eating 2 thousand kilocalories(what we know as a calorie) throughout the day is the best way of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In mice, studies have shown that less calories are directly correlated to longer life. This is because whenever a calorie is converted into energy, there is a slightly toxic byproduct. This has been shown to be true in the few human studies that exist. Basically, science is learning that you should eat the fewest amount of calories you require to live the longest. This does not mean you should starve yourself however. This question is so broad that I will end by explaining that proteins and carbohydrates each have 4 kilocalories (4 calories) per gram while fat has 9 per gram. Therefore, less fat generally means less calories. However it is all about a proper ratio of fat, carbs, and protein in proper moderation. Lastly, protein is so important to our bodies it must be pointed out. When you digest proteins, your digestive tract breaks them down into their constituent amino acids (the building blocks of protein, cells, and life) and those amino acids travel through your body where they can repair damage to or help build many things, such as muscle. Anyhow, nutrition is essential to health, life, and happiness! Good luck, Dave from Seattle