The Building Blocks of Life

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Introduction

This book is not intended to be a textbook or primer. It does not set out each body system in relation to nutrition. Instead, it looks at how and why nutrition supports life and health, with a particular focus on micronutrients. And it will, hopefully, encourage readers to pursue further learning around nutrition, in greater detail, and in a more tailored and structured way, further down the line.

You cannot get more fundamental than nutrition. It underpins the structure and function of every cell in our bodies. It impacts our physical and mental health long before conception and informs every aspect of our health until the moment of our death. There is increasing evidence that feast or famine, deficiency or excess in the diets of our grandparents shows up in our genetic coding, which in turn influences our health throughout our lives.1,2

We can do nothing to amend the diets of our ancestors. But there is a lot we can do for ourselves because good nutrition is essential to good health, and to good health outcomes. In the current climate of overstretched health services and funding cuts, we all need to take more responsibility for our own health and well-being, in what we eat and in understanding how what we eat informs that health and well-being.

Just as nutrition underpins and informs our health, our diets and our relationship with food are deep rooted in our inner core. What we eat, why we make the choices we do in relation to food, where and even when we eat are all associated with our sense of self and self-value, and our relationships with others. Food is so much more than simply eating. It is pleasure, it is socialising, it is consoling, it is love. It is our response to stress and equally our response to happiness. Our relationship with food begins early in life and our eating patterns, likes and dislikes seem to be set between the ages of three and eight.3,4 Amending those patterns can be one of the most difficult of all behavioural changes because of the complex psychosocial implications such change can have.5,6

Despite its central importance to health, very little nutrition has been included in the training of most mainstream healthcare practitioners (HCPs) in the UK. Awareness of self-care and social prescribing is growing among HCPs7,8 but, apart from concerns around obesity and diabetes, nutrition is rarely viewed as relevant in mainstream medicine, in either policy or messaging. Yet nutrition can be used to modify, improve, reverse and prevent a remarkable range of health issues, all of which have the potential to significantly reduce costs to our over-burdened NHS in the long term. Of course, nutrition is not the answer to all our ills, but it supports our physical and mental health in all sorts of ways that we are beginning to understand in far greater depth than ever before.

This book is intended to provide HCPs, who all too often simply don’t have the time to go and find out for themselves, some basic principles and information on nutrition. And it will hopefully stimulate an interest in the subject to inspire readers to go and look at areas of nutrition that this book does not cover.

Because every nutrient has multiple functions which affect multiple systems, there are some issues and key nutrients which are “cross-cutting”. Vitamin D and obesity have specific chapters in this book, as well as repeated mentions in other chapters. Both have been high on the nutrition agenda for some time; public health and mainstream medicine are now starting to catch up on these hot topics.

The subject of supplementation is also repeatedly raised throughout the book. The UK diet is dire. Nearly 60% of the calories consumed here derive from ultraprocessed foods, which are calorie-dense but nutrient-poor.9 Government data shows intake of many vitamins and minerals falls far below that which is needed to maintain health.10 And intake of fruits and vegetables is at an all-time low.11 Almost everyone needs a boost of a wide range of nutrients, and the easiest way to do that is to take food supplements.

Table of contents :

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Acknowledgements
Author
Introduction
References
1. Nutrition Basics
The basics
Macro- and micronutrients Are split up into smaller and more complex groups
Macronutrients
Fats
Proteins
Carbohydrates
Fibre
Water
Micronutrients
Vitamins
Minerals
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Phytonutrients
Deficiency or insufficiency
Nutrient intakes – terminology
National Diet and Nutrition Survey
Government guidelines
There Is nothing simple about nutrition
References
2. Malnutrition
What is malnutrition?
Definitions
Prevalence of malnutrition in the UK
The difference between macronutrient and micronutrient malnutrition
Undernutrition is part of malnutrition
Vitamin D
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
What are the health implications of these nutrient shortfalls?
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Folate (Folic Acid)
Calcium
Magnesium
Iron
Iodine
Selenium
Zinc
Omega-3
Real life
Other issues
Confusing public health messages
Solutions?
Education
Social prescribing
Clear messages
A quick fix?
References
3. Digestion
Digestion and Absorption
Fat Soluble Vitamins
Water Soluble Vitamins
Minerals
Immunity
The Microbiome
The Microbiome in the Mouth
The Microbiome in the Gut
Fibre
Short Chain Fatty Acids
Fermented Foods
The Second Brain
The Nervous Systems in the Gut
Neurotransmitters
Glutamate and GABA
The Centrality of the Gut to Health
References
4. Obesity
Obesity and poverty
Ultra-processed food
The glycaemic index
How our relationship with food impacts obesity
Insulin and carbohydrate
Hunger and appetite
Satiety value
Fat is not the enemy
Saturated fat – really not so bad
Trans fats and omega-3
Obesity and the microbiome
There is no single “best way” to lose weight
References
5. Immunity
Immunity requires both micronutrients and macronutrients
Nutrients Fund Immunity
Omega-3 and omega-6
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
The B Vitamins
Vitamin C
Minerals
Iron
Zinc
Selenium
Calcium
Other factors
β-glucans
Flavonoids and Polyphenols
The Microbiome and GALT
References
6. Vitamin D
Vitamin D from food
Vitamin D from sunlight
Safety
Situation in the UK
Vitamin D deficiency rates in the UK
Bones
Mental health
Immunity
Autoimmune disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Diabetes
Inflammatory GI Diseases
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Some cancers
Skin health
To test or not to test
Supplementing to protect
References
7. Conception, Pregnancy and Foetal Development
Mum and baby
Folic acid
Other Benefits of B Vitamins
Fats and oils
Trans Fats
Omega Fats
The microbiome
Energy intakes
Protein intake
Finally … for mum and baby
Preconception for dad
References
8. Tired All the Time
Metabolism
Energy substrates
Energy production from glucose
Glycolysis
The Link Reaction
The Krebs Cycle
The Electron Transport Chain
It gets more complicated…
β-Oxidation of Fatty Acids
Protein Metabolism
Nutrients needed for energy production: Vitamins
Thiamine (Vitamin B1)
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Niacin (Vitamin B3)
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)
Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)
Folic Acid
Biotin
Choline
Vitamin C
Nutrients needed for energy production: Minerals
Calcium
Iron
Magnesium
Manganese
Phosphorus
Other nutrients needed for energy production
Coenzyme Q10
Vitamin D
Water
Nutritional management of fatigue
Always read the label
References
9. Different Ways of Eating
Mediterranean diet
The flexitarian diet
Vegetarianism and veganism
Junk Food Vegetarians
Potential Nutrient Shortfalls in Vegetarian Diets
Vitamin A
B Vitamins
Vitamin D
Omega-3
Iron
Calcium
Iodine
Selenium
Zinc
The keto diet
Intermittent fasting
The Palaeolithic (Paleo) diet
Detox diets
The Liver – Key to Detoxification
Raw food diet
Is there a “best” diet?
References
Conclusion
References
Nutrient “Cheat Sheets”
References
Index