The podcast discusses the lack of content about micronutrients and aims to provide a solid foundation for understanding them. They also share interesting facts and explore the importance of micronutrients, water-soluble vitamins, and minerals in maintaining good health. The hosts discuss the intersection of science, economics, and nutrient discovery, and debates surrounding the essentiality of chromium and the association between lithium in drinking water and mental health. They also touch upon the roles of fiber and resistant starch in the body.
Micronutrients are divided into water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, each with different absorption and excretion properties.
Water-soluble vitamins are easily absorbed and play a crucial role as co-enzymes or co-factors in enzymatic processes.
Fat-soluble vitamins require dietary fat for absorption and have various functions essential for good health.
The term 'vitamin' was coined by Dr. Casimir Funk to describe essential organic compounds, although not all vitamins are amines.
Vitamins were discovered as essential compounds to prevent diseases, and their names and ordering reflect historical and scientific factors.
Minerals are inorganic elements essential for normal health, with various functions from maintaining bone health to aiding enzymatic reactions.
Deep dives
Vitamins: Essential organic compounds for normal function
Vitamins are organic molecules that play a crucial role as co-enzymes or co-factors in various metabolic processes. They are divided into two categories: water-soluble vitamins (B vitamins and vitamin C) and fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin A, D, E, and K). Water-soluble vitamins are easily absorbed and excreted, making it difficult to overconsume them. They serve as essential components for enzymatic reactions and are important for protein synthesis and metabolism. Fat-soluble vitamins are less easily absorbed and can accumulate in the body's tissues. They have various functions and are crucial for normal development, good health, and normal function. Despite the term, not all vitamins are actually a single compound, as each category encompasses different compounds with similar functions.
Water-soluble vitamins: Easy absorption, important as co-enzymes or co-factors
Water-soluble vitamins, including B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B7, B9, B12) and vitamin C, are easily absorbed and readily excreted. They are crucial as co-enzymes or co-factors, facilitating enzymatic processes in the body. Water-soluble vitamins do not accumulate in the body, making overconsumption less concerning. Deficiencies in these vitamins can lead to specific health conditions, such as scurvy from vitamin C deficiency.
Fat-soluble vitamins: Absorption with dietary fat, potential accumulation
Fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamin A, D, E, and K, require dietary fat for absorption and are stored in the body's fatty tissues. They have diverse functions and are essential for normal development, good health, and normal function. Overconsumption of fat-soluble vitamins can lead to adverse effects, but it is generally harder to overconsume them compared to water-soluble vitamins.
The term 'vitamin': Coined by Dr. Casimir Funk
The term 'vitamin' was coined by Dr. Casimir Funk, who mashed up the words 'vital' and 'amine' to describe these essential organic compounds. While some vitamins were initially thought to be amines, the definition has expanded to encompass a wider range of organic compounds with essential functions. Despite the term 'vitamin', not all vitamins are a single compound, as they can include various compounds that serve similar functions.
Vitamins: Essential nutrients for good health
Vitamins are crucial for maintaining good health and preventing diseases. They were first discovered as essential compounds that need to be consumed to prevent diseases like berry berry and pellagra. While many vitamins are not amines as originally thought, the term 'vitamin' has stuck. Vitamin names and the ordering of B vitamins can seem confusing, but they are a result of historical and scientific factors. Early researchers believed that most non-communicable diseases could be prevented or cured by consuming vitamins, but later research narrowed down the essential nutrients. The geographic focus of scientific research is influenced by the availability of funding, leading to concentrations of breakthroughs in certain countries.
Minerals: Essential inorganic elements for normal development
Minerals are inorganic elements that are essential for normal health and development. They include sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, selenium, molybdenum, and iodine. However, the classification of certain elements as minerals can be debated, such as chromium, which is considered essential in the US but not in Europe. There are also elements with potential conditional essentiality and those with uncertain essentiality. Overall, minerals have various functions in the body, from maintaining bone health to aiding in enzymatic reactions.
Essential fatty acids: Necessary for good health
Essential fatty acids are necessary for normal health and function. They are classified as omega-3 or omega-6 fats and are primarily involved in regulating and influencing inflammation processes in the body. While there has been some concern about omega-6 fats, evidence suggests that consuming a varied diet that includes sources of essential fatty acids is sufficient to meet the body's needs.
Essential amino acids: Building blocks of proteins
Essential amino acids are necessary for normal health and development, as they are the building blocks of proteins. There are nine essential amino acids: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. There are also six conditionally essential amino acids that the body can usually synthesize in sufficient quantities. Most people obtain essential amino acids from a varied diet, and deficiencies are unlikely unless overall protein intake is very low.
Colleen, Fiber, and Water: Essential Nutrients in Their Own Categories
Colleen is an essential nutrient that serves roles in preserving cell membrane integrity and neurotransmission. It is not easily categorized and does not fit neatly into other nutrient classifications. Fiber, while not traditionally considered an essential nutrient, plays a role in promoting bowel health and reducing the risk of certain diseases. Water, although not typically classified as a nutrient, is essential for hydration and the proper function of bodily systems.
Different types of fiber
Fiber is a broad class of indigestible carbohydrates, composed of sugar molecules bonded together. Starch and fiber have the same raw material, but the type of bonds between sugar molecules differs. Starches have alpha glycosidic bonds, while cellulose, the most common type of fiber, has beta glycosidic bonds. Our enzymes can break down starch but cannot digest cellulose.
Facts about fiber
Enzymes that break down carbohydrates tend to break down alpha glycosidic bonds, except for lactase, which breaks down the beta glycosidic bond in lactose. The conventional explanation for coal formation is that plants produced lignin before the fungus evolved to break it down. However, an alternate hypothesis suggests that the formation of coal was due to favorable conditions during the Pangea supercontinent's formation. Some types of fiber, like resistant starch, resist digestion due to their shape rather than the type of bonds they have. Some fibers are insoluble and pass through the digestive system unchanged, while others, like soluble fiber, are fermented by gut bacteria, producing beneficial compounds and providing a small amount of energy.
Micronutrients deserve more attention. There's very little content about micronutrients, and the content that *is* out there is often full of fear-mongering or wild claims about wonder drugs and super foods. In this episode, we aim to provide a solid foundation for building a better understanding of micronutrients. Along the way, Greg also shares some fun facts that prove that micronutrients are way more interesting than you may have thought. This is the first part of a micronutrient series we'll be doing on the podcast.
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Introduction to the micronutrient discussion (11:25)
What are essential nutrients in the first place? What does it mean to call a nutrient essential? (21:28)
Try MacroFactor for free: Use code SBS to get a 14-day free trial of our nutrition app MacroFactor. MacroFactor has the fastest food logger on the market and its smart nutrition coach adapts to your metabolism to keep you on track with your goals. Download it today on the App Store or Google Play.
BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
MASS Research Review: Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.
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