Nutritional Facts and Thermogenesis in Human Health

Posted on Feb 9, 2025 in Human Nutrition and Dietetics

Key Nutritional Facts and Their Implications

Here’s a review of essential nutritional concepts and their impact on health:

  1. Food composition tables allow for the calculation of nutrient intake, which implies a certain amount of food. True
  2. Nutrients are involved in the prevention and development of pathologies. True

Thermogenesis and Its Role in Metabolism

Thermogenesis is the body’s ability to generate heat due to metabolic reactions. Heat dissipation balances this internal generation, resulting in thermal homeostasis (thermal equilibrium) in the cells. In mammals, such as humans, this results in a stable body temperature of around 37°C.

Thermogenesis can be induced by:

  • Diet: Food intake has the capacity for thermogenesis.
  • Thermogenic dietary supplements: Certain supplements can induce thermogenesis.

Sometimes, thermogenesis is defined as the excess energy consumed above the basal metabolism. Thermogenesis accounts for the activation of heat, a typical characteristic of mammals.

More Nutritional Statements and Clarifications

  1. Voluntary nutrition is unconscious and not up to us, and includes the processes of digestion, absorption, and utilization of food. False
  2. Fructose is the main disaccharide. False (Sucrose is the most common dietary disaccharide).
  3. In Type 2 diabetes, there is a defect in the function of the cell’s ability to use insulin. True
  4. The pancreas is an exocrine gland that secretes insulin, somatostatin, and glycogen. False (The pancreas is both an endocrine and exocrine gland. It secretes insulin and glucagon, not glycogen, from its endocrine part).
  5. Infant proteins escape digestion and are absorbed directly into the small intestine. True (In some cases, especially in early infancy).
  6. Most foods are allergenic proteins. False (Only a subset of proteins are allergenic).
  7. Dietary fiber is the result of cooking food, and raw fiber is the result of not cooking. False (Dietary fiber is a component of plant-based foods that is not digested by human enzymes).
  8. Fiber causes water retention and absorption. True
  9. Fiber results in the improvement of cholesterol levels and improvement of arteriosclerosis. False (Fiber *can* contribute to improved cholesterol levels and *may* reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis, but it’s not a guaranteed outcome).
  10. Fiber results in a decreased risk of colon cancer. True
  11. The colonic flora can be modified by intake of foods containing probiotics. True
  12. In diarrhea, a diet rich in fiber is recommended, and foods difficult to digest should be avoided. False (A low-fiber diet is often recommended during diarrhea).
  13. The chylomicron contains mostly cholesterol. False (Chylomicrons contain mostly triglycerides).
  14. Protein quality depends on having corrected for the value of digestion. True
  15. Limiting amino acid nitrogen loss occurs mostly through urine. True
  16. The recommended amount of protein is 0.7-0.8 g/kg per week. False (It’s 0.7-0.8 g/kg per *day*).
  17. The preventive treatment effective in preventing kidney stones is the ingestion of large volumes of fluid. True
  18. In hyperoxaluria, foods high in oxalate should be restricted. True
  19. Starchy foods raise the pH to 6 and 6.5, leading to further acidification of the urine. False
  20. Biotin is synthesized in part by the intestinal flora. True
  21. Golden Rice serves to alleviate Vitamin A deficiency. True
  22. Cooking food does not impoverish it. False (Cooking can reduce the levels of certain vitamins).
  23. The potato, when soaked, oxidizes and loses much of its vitamins. True
  24. Serum albumin is used to assess protein levels in skeletal muscle. False (Serum albumin is used to assess overall protein status, not specifically skeletal muscle protein).
  25. Thermogenesis has a mandatory and a voluntary phase at will. True
  26. In pregnancy, the levels of folate and iron should be increased. True
  27. In old age, the levels of fatty acids should be reduced. False (While overall calorie needs may decrease, essential fatty acids remain important).
  28. In a child’s diet, levels of essential fatty acids should be increased up to 5 years. True
  29. In bulimia nervosa, affective factors are influential. True
  30. The DRI is a good starting point for the selection of adequate amounts of nutrients, and not just one nutrient. True
  31. In a diabetic patient, it is advised to replace starchy vegetables in at least 4 meals and restrict salt intake to between 4 and 6g. False (Starchy vegetables should be *included* in a balanced way, not replaced. The salt restriction is generally correct).
  32. In the usual diet, 5g of Na is ingested. False (This can vary greatly depending on individual dietary habits).
  33. A semi-soft diet is recommended for a patient who arrives from the operating room. True
  34. The soft diet has no raw vegetables and fruit. True (Generally, soft diets avoid raw produce).
  35. Foods have the same amount of nutrients at different times of the year; it only varies according to their geography. False (Nutrient content can vary based on season, growing conditions, and geography).