Macro-nutrients are the body’s energy supply, measured in calories. In this description: 55% to 60% from carbohydrates, 25% to 30% from fats, and 5% to 10% from proteins.
Macronutrients Supply The Energy
When one talks about a normal metabolic rate—being, on average, 25 to 30 kilo calories per kilogram of body weight per day (25-30 kcal/kg/d)—one is describing an average person’s energy requirement: the energy necessary for cell function, muscle function, tissue repair.
In normal metabolism, proteins provide a little energy, but rather the raw materials for protein synthesis in the cell, muscle function, and tissue repair.
Calories that are above and beyond metabolic needs are stored as fats. These can be called upon later when the energy requirements of the body require.
Exercise is an integral component of a healthy metabolism to prevent the storage of excess fats, and provide healthy stressors that beneficially challenge many parts of the overall system.
A proper balance of macro-nutrients is necessary for a healthy diet to provide the body’s energy and raw materials to function optimally.
Macro-nutrients, in the presence of adequate oxygen (to assist in energy production), micro-nutrients, and water, enter the metabolic pathways under the direction of hormonal signals.
Hormones are, in essence, messengers that regulate both anabolic processes, those involved in growth and repair, and catabolic processes that break down components and tissues in the course of normal metabolic processes.
Hormones are derived from proteins and/or fats, and can include carbohydrate side chains conferring various functionalities.
Cofactors to Energy Production and Protein Synthesis
A variety of micro-nutrients are required in a healthy diet. They act as cofactors integral to the enzymes involved in cell functions like DNA, protein synthesis, cell proliferation, immunity, and the anti-oxidation processes.
Zinc, for instance, is a cofactor for RNA and DNA polymerase and is involved in DNA synthesis. It is also a critical cofactor in matrix metalloproteinase (active in wound repair) and aids immune function and collagen synthesis. Zinc stimulates epithelial (skin and membrane tissue) repair and growth.
Other micro-nutrients include vitamins A, C, and E, with the B-complex vitamins: thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B6, and folate.
Necessary Micro-Nutrient Trace Elements
These are some of the most important ones
- Copper (for maintaining homeostasis and collagen-elastin crosslinking)
- Selenium (cofactor in fat metabolism and key anti-oxidation functions)
- Manganese (cofactor to enzymes in the Krebs cycle and protein metabolism)
- Iron, a crucial component of red blood cells
- Calcium for teeth and bone health.
These are a few of the critical nutrients a healthy diet must provide.
Having considered the key metabolic requirements of a healthy diet, to learn more about macro-nutrients, click here