Nutrient

A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism’s metabolism, which must be sourced from its environment. Nutrients are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes, and are converted to and used as energy. Methods for nutrient intake vary, with animals and protists consuming foods digested by an internal digestive system. Still, most plants ingest nutrients directly from the soil through their roots or from the atmosphere.

Organic nutrients include carbohydrates, fats, proteins (or their building blocks, amino acids), and vitamins.

Inorganic chemical compounds such as dietary minerals, water, and oxygen may also be considered nutrients.

A nutrient is said to be “essential” if obtained from an external source, either because the organism cannot synthesize it or produces insufficient quantities.

Nutrients needed in minimal amounts are micronutrients, and those that are needed in larger quantities are called macronutrients. The effects of nutrients are dose-dependent, and shortages are called deficiencies.

 Nutrient Types

Macronutrients are defined in several different ways.

• The chemical elements humans consume in the largest quantities are carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur, or CHNOPS.
• The classes of chemical compounds humans consume in the largest quantities and provide bulk energy are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Water and atmospheric oxygen also must be consumed in large quantities but are not always considered “food” or “nutrients.”
• Calcium, salt (sodium and chloride), magnesium, and potassium (along with phosphorus and sulfur) are sometimes added to the list of macronutrients because they are required in large quantities compared to other vitamins and minerals. They are sometimes referred to as the macrominerals.

Substances That Provide Energy

• Carbohydrates are compounds made up of types of sugars. Carbohydrates are classified by their number of sugar units: monosaccharides (such as glucose and fructose), disaccharides (such as sucrose and lactose), oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides (such as starch, glycogen, and cellulose).
• Proteins are organic compounds that consist of amino acids joined by peptide bonds. The body cannot manufacture some amino acids (termed essential amino acids); the diet must supply these. In nutrition, proteins are broken down through digestion by proteases back into free amino acids.
• Fats consist of a glycerin molecule with three fatty acids attached. Fatty acids are unbranched hydrocarbon chains connected by single bonds alone (saturated fatty acids) or double and single bonds (unsaturated fatty acids). Fats are needed to keep cell membranes functioning properly, insulate body organs against shock, keep body temperature stable, and maintain healthy skin and hair. The body does not manufacture certain fatty acids (termed essential fatty acids), and the diet must supply these.

Fat has an energy content of 9 kcal/g (~37.7 kJ/g); proteins and carbohydrates 4 kcal/g (~16.7 kJ/g). Ethanol (grain alcohol) has an energy content of 7 kcal/g (~29.3 kJ/g).

Substances that Support Metabolism

• Dietary minerals generally trace elements, salts, or ions such as copper and iron. Some of these minerals are essential to human metabolism.
• Vitamins are organic compounds essential to the body. They usually act as coenzymes or cofactors for various proteins in the body.
• Water is an essential nutrient and is the solvent in which all the chemical reactions of life occur.

Plants absorb nutrients from the soil or the atmosphere, or water (mainly aquatic plants). An exception is the carnivorous plants, which externally digest nutrients from animals before ingesting them.

The chemical elements consumed in the greatest quantities by plants are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. These are present in the environment in water and carbon dioxide; energy is provided by sunlight. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur are also needed in relatively large quantities. Together, the “Big Six” are the elemental macronutrients for all organisms, often represented by the acronym CHNOPS. Usually, they are sourced from inorganic (e.g., carbon dioxide, water, nitrate, phosphate, sulfate) or organic (e.g., carbohydrates, lipids, proteins) compounds, although elemental diatomic molecules of nitrogen and (especially) oxygen are often used.

Other chemical elements are also necessary to carry out various life processes and build structures; see fertilizer and micronutrient for more information.

Some of these are considered macronutrients in certain organisms. The mnemonic C. HOPKIN’S  Ca, Fe, Mg (to be used as C. Hopkins coffee mug) is used by some students to remember the list as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, sulfur, calcium, iron, and magnesium. Silicon, chloride, sodium, copper, zinc, and molybdenum are sometimes also included but are in other cases considered micronutrients.

Essential and Non-essential Nutrients

Nutrients are frequently categorized as essential or nonessential. Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized internally (either at all or insufficient quantities), so an organism must be consumed from its environment. Nonessential nutrients are those nutrients that the body can make. They may often also be absorbed from consumed food. Most animals ultimately derive their essential nutrients from plants, though some animals may consume mineral-based soils to supplement their diet.

For humans, these include essential fatty acids, essential amino acids, vitamins, and certain dietary minerals. Oxygen and water are also essential for human survival but are generally not considered “food” when consumed in isolation.

Humans can derive energy from various fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and ethanol and synthesize other needed amino acids from the essential nutrients.

Non-essential substances within foods can still have a significant impact on health, whether beneficial or toxic. For example, most dietary fiber is not absorbed by the human digestive tract but is important in digestion and absorption of otherwise harmful substances. Interest has recently increased in phytochemicals, which include many non-essential substances that may have health benefits.

Deficiencies and Toxicity

An inadequate amount of a nutrient is a deficiency. Deficiencies can be due to several causes, including an inadequacy in nutrient intake called a dietary deficiency or conditions that interfere with the utilization of a nutrient within an organism. Some of the conditions that can interfere with nutrient utilization include problems with nutrient absorption, substances that cause a greater than normal need for a nutrient, conditions that cause nutrient destruction, and conditions that cause greater nutrient excretion.

Nutrient toxicity occurs when an excess of a nutrient does harm to an organism.

In plants, five types of deficiency or toxicity symptoms are common:

• Chlorosis – which is the yellowing of plant tissue caused by a shortage of chlorophyll synthesis.
• Necrosis – which is the death of plant tissue.
• Accumulation of anthocyanin – which produces a purple or reddish colorization of foliage and/or stems.
• Lack of new growth.
• Stunting or reduced growth – where new growth is stunted or reduced.

Oversupply of plant nutrients in the environment can cause excessive plant and algae growth. As this process is called, eutrophication may cause imbalances in population numbers and other nutrients that can harm certain species. For example, an algal bloom can deplete the oxygen available for fish to breathe. Causes include water pollution from sewage or runoff from farms (carrying excess agricultural fertilizer). The nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus are most commonly the limiting factors in the growth and thus the most likely to trigger eutrophication when introduced artificially.