Macro and Micronutrients and Their Impact On Health and Well-being - Part III Ashford University School Assignment

In this post I will be discussing micro and macronutrients and what their impact is on ones health and well-being.

Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals found in foods like bananas, spinach, beef, peppers, oranges, and broccoli.  Our bodies need theses micronutrients in order to assist in the prevention and treatment of different illnesses and diseases.  For example, micronutrients like Vitamins A helps with ones vision health and immune function, vitamin B12 is needed for nerve function, Vitamin C provides antioxidants for the blood cells and helps to support ones immune system while minerals like calcium may help reduce blood pressure and helps in bone and teeth development (Micronutrients for Health, n.d.).  Micronutrients are “needed in small amounts in order to help the body produce enzymes, hormones, and other substances necessary for proper growth and development” (Micronutrients, n.d., para. 1).  Micronutrients also play an important part in the body’s metabolism and in maintaining tissue function (Shenkin, 2006).  

Unlike micronutrients, macronutrients are needed in large amounts and are only found in foods.  These macronutrients consist of “fats, protein, carbohydrates, and minerals such as calcium” (Youdim, 2016, para. 7).  According to Sizer & Whitney (2017), there is an acceptable “macronutrient distribution range which sets forth the intake range of macronutrients necessary for the energy-yielding nutrients needed in order to provide adequate total energy and nutrients while minimizing the risk of chronic diseases” (p. 33).  Americans have been taught to follow the guidelines put forth by the American Heart Association, which has recommended for the past 40 years that Americans control and decrease the macronutrient of fat while increasing ones intake of whole grains (carbohydrates) leading to an increase in obesity:

Consumption of fats has dropped from 45 percent to 34 percent with a corresponding increase in carbohydrate consumption from 39 percent to 51 percent of total caloric intake. In addition, from 1971 to 2011, average weight and body mass index have increased dramatically, with the percentage of overweight or obese Americans increasing from 42 percent in 1971 to 66 percent in 2011 (Cohen, Cragg, et al., 2015, results).

Furthermore, one study showed that individuals who consumed a diet high in carbohydrates, low in fat, low in proteins, and low calories had an increase risk for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (Roberts, Roberts, et al., 2012, abstract).

One thing is for sure; unbiased research is still needed in the areas of nutrition and health.

  

                                                             References

Cohen, E., Cragg, M., deFonseka, J., Hite, A., Rosenberg, M., & Zhou, B. (2015). Applied nutritional investigation: Statistical review of US macronutrient consumption data, 1965-2011: Americans have been following dietary guidelines, coincident with the rise in obesity. Nutrition, 31727-732. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2015.02.007

Micronutrients. (n.d.). Nutrition topics. Programmes. World Health Organization. Retrieved from  http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/micronutrients/en/ 

Micronutrients for Health [PDF File]. (n.d.). Linus Pauling Institute Oregon State University. Retrieved from http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/sites/lpi.oregonstate.edu/files/pdf/mic/micronutrients_for_health.pdf

Roberts, R. O., Roberts, L. A., Geda, Y. E., Cha, R. H., Pankratz, V. S., O’Connor, H. M., Knopman, D. S., & Petersen, R. C. (2012, June 12). Relative intake of macronutrients impacts risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia.  Articles. IOS Press Content Library. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 32(2), 329-339. doi:10.3233/JAD-2012-120862 

Shenkin, A. (2006). Micronutrients in health and disease. BMJ Journals.  Postgraduate Medical Journal. 82(971), 559-567. Retrieved from http://pmj.bmj.com/content/82/971/559

Sizer, F., & Whitney, E. (2017). Nutrion: Concepts and controversies (14^th ed). Cengage Learning: OH. Retrieved from VitalSource Bookshelf

Youdim, A. (2016, Oct). Overview of Nutrition. Nutrition: General considerations, Nutritional disorders, Professional. Merck Manual. Retrieved from http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/nutritional-disorders/nutrition-general-considerations/overview-of-nutrition?qt=&sc=&alt=