Topics

Week 1

• Why do we eat - A discussion of the complex reason that people eat from the need for nutrients to psychological reasons. Hunger and appetite will be discussed and the major nutrients introduced.
• RDAs – How much do we need? The concepts of what is an essential nutrient and how are requirements determined will be discussed as well the variability that exist with biological systems. The role of the scientific method in establishing essentiality and requirement.
• Digestion – a review of how the major nutrients are processed in preparation for absorption and the role of enzymes in digestion.

Week 2

• Carbohydrates – monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides will be defined and discussed. The biological roles of carbohydrates will be emphasized from simple sugars to complex . Enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism will be discussed with emphasis on lactose intolerance. Causes, consequences and management of diabetes will be presented. . The role of insulin and glucagon in control of blood glucose level will be discussed and the concept of a receptor will be introduced .
• Proteins – amino acids with emphasis on essential amino acids will be introduced as well as human needs for protein. Protein functions will be discussed with particular emphasis on enzymes and contractile proteins. The concepts of protein quality, limiting amino acid and complementary relationships will be presented along with a discussion of the problems that poor quality proteins can present to development of children.

Week 3

• Lipids - Lipid structure including glycerol, mono, di and triglycerides, phospholipids and cholesterol will be discussed. The differences between saturated, unsaturated and polyunsaturated lipids will be discussed as will the conversion of unsaturated to saturated lipids by hydrogenation. The formation of trans fatty acids will be mentioned and their potential role in the etiology of CHD will be discussed. Linoleic acid will be discussed as an essential fatty acid as will its role in prostaglandin synthesis and the biological role of prostaglandins. CHD risk factors will be discussed with emphasis on the roles of saturated and trans fatty acids and cholesterol.
• Fat soluble vitamins - The fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K will be discussed. Their roles in metabolism will be defined as will deficiency states and diseases. The role of vitamin A in vision, in maintenance of epithelial tissue and as a growth factor will be discussed. Calcium absorption and vitamin D as well as the possibility of obtaining vitamin D from sunlight will be discussed. This leads to a discussion of osteoporosis and the relative contribution of diet and genetics to the disease. The role of vitamin K in blood clotting and the use of vitamin K analogs will be introduced. The antioxidant role of vitamin E and its relationship to certain animal diseases will be covered. Possible tonicities of the fat-soluble vitamins will be examined

Week 4

• Water soluble vitamins - The water soluble vitamins will be discussed. Emphasis will be on their metabolic roles, deficiency states and amounts required for optimal health. We will stress those that have received recent attention such as the role of folic acid in neural tube disorders, the affect of too much folic acid on B12 deficiencies, the use of gram quantities of niacin to decrease serum cholesterol and the recent listing of choline as an essential nutrient.
• Cofactors and non-vitamins - A more complete discussion of what a cofactor is and its role in metabolism will be presented. Lactic dhydrogenase and NadH will be used as an example. We will identify a number of microbial cofactors that were at one time thought to be human vitamins and explain why they are not. P amino benzoic acid will serve as a good example and the use of sulfa drugs will illustrate how a knowledge of metabolism allows for the development of rational therapy for certain disease states.
• Exam 1 October 14

Week 5

· Minerals - The role of minerals as enzyme activators and as structural units in the body will be discussed. The major nutrients will be described as well the deficiency states and human requirements Where appropriate, toxicity will also be discussed. Fluid and electrolyte balance will be covered in this section. The role of ACE inhibitors for treatment of high blood pressure will be used to demonstrate how an understanding of metabolism can be used to treat disease states. The interrelationships of minerals and their homeostatic control will be discussed.

· Nutritional Labeling - The nutritional labeling education act will be described We will make use of nutritional labels to help students identify the nutritional contents of foods. We will also discuss the growing controversy regarding health claims and the governments rules that govern them. Allowed claims and the biological basis of these claims will be discussed. There will be considerable discussion of the use of herbals for treatment of disease and the evidence that must be used to make claims.

Week 6

· Weight loss - weight loss from a scientific viewpoint. The relationship between energy intake, energy utilization and weight will be described. Ketogenic diets will serve as examples of fad diets and the mechanism of rapid weight loss will be examined. Many college age students are keenly aware of their weights and a rational approach to maintenance of ideal weight is extremely useful to these

· Eating Disorders - major eating disorders will be described as well as treatment and prognosis.

· Microbiology - We will begin with a discussion of the factors important to microbial growth such as pH, oxygen tension, salt concentration, water activity, nutrient availability, etc. We will describe a microbial growth curve

Week 7

Food poisoning - We will discuss the major food poisoning organisms with emphasis on sources of contamination, requirements for growth and prevention of disease. Recent outbreaks in the news such as those involving E. coli and Listeria will be emphasized. Much of the emphasis will be on prevention. The discussion will be expanded to include viruses, prions and fungi. Viruses and prions will be utilized to discuss the blurring of the line between living and non-living. The problems with antibiotic resistance and the futility of treating viral diseases like bacterial diseases will be discussed. The evolution of antibiotic resistance will be covered and the emergence of resistant bacterial strains discussed. Preservation techniques and their biological mode of action will be discussed. Food Irradiation - mechanism of preservation, chemical changes, safety, approved applications, possible future uses, labeling requirements, social acceptance

Week 8

• Exam 2 November 18
• Food additives - Food additives will be discussed. Most people are concerned with the safety of these compounds , so much of the lecture will deal with toxicological testing. The types of test required and their implications will be discussed. Test discussed will include mutagenicity, Ames test, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity as well as test for biochemical changes, effects on reproduction and for general safety. The main classes of additives will briefly be described. This lecture will also include a discussion of naturally compounds in foods which may have detrimental affects or that may interact with certain medications.
• Dietary Supplements – regulations that govern supplement are different than those relating to food additives. The differences will be discussed as will the biological mode of action of a number of herbal supplements.

Week 9

· Biotechnology . Basic principals and the application of biotechnology to the production of foods. Methods used for gene transfer will be discussed. The main examples in this lecture will involve the uses of biotechnology in the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. Examples will be drawn from food products or the application to disease resistance of plants. The impact of new areas such as nitrogen fixation by non-legumes will also be discussed. We will describe round-up ready soybeans, BT corn and other crops that making significant contributions to the US food supply.

· Immune response - This lecture will discuss the basic principals of the immune response and the cells that mediate it. Primary and secondary immune response will be discussed as will the role of T-cells and B-cells. The concept of self will be introduced and allergies to food will be used as examples of inappropriate immune responses.

Week 10

• Allergies – The mechanism of allergies will be introduced including the role IgE .mast cells and histamine. Food allergies will be presented and compared to other type of adverse reactions to food.
• Diet and Cancer - The changes that occur in cancer will be described. The role of gene regulation and the concept of oncogenes will be discussed. Biological and chemical causes of cancer will be discussed. The latest guidelines regarding diet and cancer will be presented and discussed.
• Final exam December 9