Macro and Micronutrients and Their Role

Introduction

Nutrients are essential for all organisms because it provides energy, growth and development. Essential nutrients are derived from foods. Nutrients are digested and then broken down into simple substances. The organism uses these simple parts. Nutrients are of 2 types, i.e., macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients involve carbohydrates, protein and fats. Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy. These are broken down into glucose—fruit, vegetables, dairy, grain, etc. Fats are broken down into fatty acids. Protein helps make hormones and muscles. Protein are broken down into simpler substances like amino acids. These simpler substances are used to supply energy to cells. Nutrients provide energy and help maintain body structure and regulate chemical processes in the body. Nutrients are necessary for the body to function properly.

Nutrients

Nutrients are mainly of six types—i.e. Carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water.

Micronutrients- Elements required in small quantities. Macronutrients- Elements needed in large quantities. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, protein and fat. The Food Pyramid shows how much you need to eat, to achieve a healthy, properly balanced diet. Nutrients help build and maintain bones, muscles, blood pressure and joints.

Macronutrients	Example of macronutrient	Micronutrients	Example of micronutrient
Carbohydrate	Fruits, bread	Vitamin C	Orange, lemons
Protein	Beef, fish	Vitamin D	Yogurt, milk
Fat	Butter, oil	Vitamin E	Almond
		Zinc	seafood
		Magnesium	Black bean

Macronutrients

Macronutrients are broadly divided into 3 types:-

1) Carbohydrate

2) Protein

3) Fat

1) Macronutrients (carbohydrate) and their role:-

Carbohydrates are a significant energy source for the cell and provide structural support to all living organisms

Carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

It provides energy to the body

Carbohydrates contain hydrogen and oxygen in the same ratio as water (2:1)

They can be broken down and release energy in the animal body

If someone is healthy, carbohydrates turn into glucose which will be used by the body later( store glucose in Glycogen form ). But  a diabetes patient have high amount of glucose in blood then, you will face trouble in  enough insulin production (it needs to stay healthy)

The macronutrient (Glucose) is converted to energy in the presence of oxygen in the cell’s powerhouse (mitochondria)

The end product of this reaction is energy (ATP), water, heat, carbon dioxide (waste product for our body). At exercise, the body releases energy stored on muscles or the liver

2) Macronutrients (protein) and their role:-

• Proteins are made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen
• The addition of nitrogen gives protein uniqueness, which makes it different from carbohydrates and fats
•  Proteins are made up of thousands of smaller units known as amino acids. These amino acids are attached in long chains
• 20 types of amino acids can be combined to form a protein
• When our body needs protein, the body can continually get amino acids from the amino-acid pool

types of amino acids

Group	Amino acid
Neutral	Glycine Alanine Valine – Essential Leucine – Essential Isoleucine – Essential
Acidic	Aspartic Acid Asparagine (Amide) Glutamic Acid Glutamine (Amide)
Basic	Lysine – Essential Arginine – Semi essential (child)
Sulphur Containing	Cysteine Methionine – Essential
Alcoholic	Serine Threonine – Semi essential (adult)
Aromatic cyclic	Phenylalanine – Essential Tyrosine
Heterocyclic	Histidine – Semi essential (child) Tryptophan – Essential
Imino acid	Proline

• Structural proteins: Proteins that serve as building material of cells and tissues called structural proteins. These proteins are essential for growth, repair and reproduction. Eg., -keratin (hair, nails, etc.), ossein (bone), chondrin (cartilage), collagen etc
• Functional proteins: Certain proteins like enzymes, some coenzymes and hormones (insulin, parathormone) act as regulator of body functions and metabolism. These are called functional proteins
• Transport proteins: These proteins serve as physical carriers of other functionally important smaller molecules. Eg., Hemoglobin, myoglobin etc
• Contractile proteins: These proteins help in movement and locomotion. Eg., myosin and actin of muscle fibre
• Protective proteins: These proteins act as antibodies and provide immunity to the body eg., antibodies. Proteins thrombin and fibrinogen help in blood clotting
• Storage proteins: These include albumen of egg white, glutins of wheat, casein of milk etc

 Here is the list that explains macronutrients and their role in diet for different age groups:-

Age group (year)	Protein/ person (gram)
Children under the age of 4 years	13
Children under 4-8 years	19
Between 9-13 years	34
Women and girls 14 years and above	46
Boys under 14-18 years	52
Man from 19 and above	56

We need protein in our diet because it helps our body to repair cells and make new ones. They are also important for the growth and development of all ages of humans.

3) Macronutrients (fat) and their role:-

• “Fats” represent body fat or fat present in our body. There are different types of fat present in your body
• The basic unit of fat is “triglyceride”. This has two parts. i.e., 1 glycerol backbone and 3 fatty acid tails. Glycerol has 3 hydroxyls (OH) groups present in glycerol. A fatty acid consists of a long hydrocarbon chain attached to a carboxyl group
• Fat has a dual effect. It may be positive or negative for our health. If fat has a negative impact, it will create health problems that lead to diseases. But, fat is also beneficial and necessary for our health. Fatty foods (such as sausage, bacon or potato chips) are rich in calories and have saturated fats with few essential nutrients than other low-calorie foods. Saturated fat increases low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol in the blood which is not required by the body. Bad cholesterol is one of the major contributing risk factors of many cardiovascular diseases such as CHF and atherosclerosis. So, LDL shows negative effects for our health. Good cholesterol or high density lipoprotein(HDL) is required by the body for healthy living. Sources of unsaturated fats are majorly protein sources like lean meat, fish, seafood, poultry without skin, beans, lentils, tofu, dairy products, cottage cheese and flax seeds. They contain unsaturated fat and also Omega-3-fatty acids. High levels of HDL cholesterol can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke. So, HDL shows positive effect for our health

• Fats are too big in size and this is why they cannot easily cross the cell membranes. So, the fats must be broken down into simple substances like fatty acids and glycerol

Micronutrients

Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. We can classify micronutrients into 4 groups:-

Group	Vitamins and minerals
a) Water-soluble vitamins	Vitamin-B, C
b) Fat-soluble vitamins	Vitamin -A, D, E, K.
c) Macro-minerals	Calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus
d) Trace minerals	Iron, copper, zinc manganese, iodine, cobalt, fluoride and selenium.

Micronutrients are essential for the growth and development of plants. Examples:- Boron (B), Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Molybdenum (Mo), Chlorine (Cl). The scarcity of any of these above nutrients will affect the growth and development of the plant. Similarly, lack of these micronutrients create the following types of disorders:-

Number	Micronutrients	Disorders
1	Calcium	Rickets, Osteoporosis
2	Vitamin A	Night blindness, Xerophthalmia
3	Iodine	Hypothyroidism, Goiter
4	Iron	Anemia, Low birth weight
5	Zinc	Genetic disorder, Stunting
6	Vitamin B6	Depression, Heart disease
7	Vitamin B12	Megaloblastic anemia

Vitamins are necessary for energy production, immune function, etc. Minerals play a vital role in growth, bone health, and fluid balance.

Conclusion

Good nutrition will prevent 95% of all diseases. The first wealth is health. A healthy macronutrients included diet is good for our health. We should focus on how our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food. Health is the result of investing in good micronutrients in our daily diet. Poor nutrition is the leading cause of chronic diseases. Macronutrients and micronutrients play a crucial role in growth and development. It helps regulate body functions like maintaining sweating, temperature, metabolism, blood pressure etc. A child’s body uses macro and micronutrients to build strong bones, grow tall. Proper nutrition will help children or any living beings prevent and fight for illness. Macronutrients and their role in our diet give them energy and focus on study.