There are three main macro nutrients that are needed by humans for growth and development. The three main macro nutrients that are needed consist of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. These core nutrients help supply energy for the body in order to supply for daily activities and movements.
In this blog post I will cover key details that explain how these main macro nutrients work biochemically within the body.
Carbohydrates:
So what are carbohydrates? Most carbohydrates are a form of some type of sugar molecule. These molecules are used to form glycogen. Complex Carbohydrates are linked sugar molecules and they are also called starches. Simple Carbohydrates are single sugar molecules such as glucose, sucrose, and fructose. Carbohydrates can be broken down into three general categories: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides and disaccharides are commonly referred to as sugars or simple carbohydrates, while polysaccharides are called complex carbohydrates. Monosaccharides are carbohydrates that have one sugar molecule. Common sources include glucose, fructose, sorbitol, galactose, mannitol, and mannose. Disaccharides are carbohydrates with two sugar molecules. Common sources include sucrose and lactose. Polysaccharides are carbohydrates with three or more sugar molecules. Sources include dextrin, cellulose, and starches. Another kind of carbohydrate is fiber, which is composed mainly of undigestible polysaccharides. Fiber plays an important role in the next topic of discussion, the glycemic index (GI). The separate classifications of monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides, and fiber which help differentiate carbohydrates.
The major carbohydrates that are consumed in the human diet are starch, sucrose, lactose, fructose, and glucose. The polysaccharide starch is the storage form of carbohydrates in plant.
Sucrose known as table sugar and lactose known as milk sugar are disaccharides, and fructose and glucose are monosaccharides. The digestion process converts large carbohydrates into monosaccharides, which are absorbed into the bloodstream. Glucose, which is a monosaccharide, is a predominant sugar inside the human blood.
Digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth but mostly occurs in the small intestine. Specific digestive enzymes break complex carbohydrates down into disaccharides and, finally, monosaccharides.
The monosaccharides glucose, fructose, and galactose are absorbed from the small intestine into the blood using specific protein transporters found in the intestinal cell membrane.
Regardless of the type of carbohydrate consumed, most carbohydrate is transported through the body in the blood as glucose.
Athletes and scientists have known for years that consuming carbohydrate during prolonged endurance exercise helps performance. A significant amount of research since the late 1970s and 1980s has helped increase our knowledge about this performance improvement – the amount and type of carbohydrate consumed, the timing on carbohydrate intake, and the factors associated with fatigue during prolonged exercise.
A classic study by Coyle et al. (1986) provided significant insight into the utilization of various carbohydrate sources during endurance exercise, the effect on performance, and fatigue.
Results from research studies provide significant insight into the process of fatigue during prolonged endurance exercise – muscle glycogen levels become depleted, blood glucose levels decline, and carbohydrate metabolism is unable to be maintained at a high rate leading to fatigue. Consumption of carbohydrate delays fatigue significantly, not by delaying the use of muscle glycogen but by maintaining blood glucose and keeping carbohydrate metabolism at a high level.
As with all good research studies important questions were answered, but others were raised. The results of the Coyle et al. study demonstrated that carbohydrate intake during exercise allowed the athletes to maintain their blood glucose and carbohydrate oxidation levels that significantly aided their endurance exercise performance.
Despite blood glucose and carbohydrate oxidation remaining high, the subjects eventually fatigued, prompting questions and further research into causes or mechanisms of fatigue during endurance exercise other than carbohydrate metabolism.
Use and Incorporate Correct Fats Into Your Diet
Incorporating the correct fats into your diet is more essential than most people realize. In fact there has been a lot of propaganda sent out over the years that has made many people believe that they needed to eliminate fat from their diet completely. The fact is that many fats are actually essential for optimal health as well as promoting conditions such as athletic performance, skin beauty, longevity, and energy levels.
As said by Nutrition researcher Udo Erasmus, “EFAs are major essential nutrients (only oxygen, water, and glucose are required in larger daily amounts). Deficiencies can result in major health problems. (Udo 316). As a result one should realize that having enough good oils included in a diet is essential for structural components such as building, repairing, and replacing cell structures.
There are some oils that are best to include and oils that are best to exclude.
Oils to include:
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAs)
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
Hemp Oil
Flax Oil
Walnut Oil
Wheat Germ Oil
Unrefined Soybean Oil
Safflower Oil
Sunflower Oil
Sesame Seed Oil
Evening Primrose Oil- Contains 72% linoleic acid, the essential fatty acid.
Black Currant Oil- Contains EFA’S and up to 18% GLA. This Gamma Linolenic Acid oil is refined and deodorized
Olive Oil
Good Oils For Skin:
Almond Oil
Prune Oil
Emu Oil
Neem Oil
Avocado Oil
Olive Oil
Tea Tree Oil
Oils to exclude:
Trans fatty acids
Saturated fats
Processed Vegetable Oils
Certain Monounsaturated fats
For more in depth information on Essential Fatty Acids and how fats play a pivotal role check out the book: Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill, by Udo Erasmus. Eating a more ketogenic diet that includes proper fats and oils can help improve energy levels, mental performance, and physical performance.
The Role of Insulin:
The way that insulin works in the body is through blood sugar responses through the foods that are taken through the diet. Insulin is a very powerful hormone, and it needs to be regulated through proper nutrition. Not everything about insulin is bad. In fact, insulin is very anabolic! Insulin increases the transport of glucose, amino acids, and other nutrients into muscle, so it has a very anabolic effect. The increased transport of glucose to muscle serves to increase glycogen stores, which are important for muscle performance. The increased shuttling of amino acids results in increased protein synthesis and nitrogen retention, both essential for muscle growth. So far, it sounds like we should want to load up on insulin, doesn’t it? But that’s not the case. Elevated insulin can be very hyperlipidemic, which means it can increase body fat. One way insulin increases body fat is by assisting in the formation of glycerol and fatty acids into triglycerides, which are stored as body fat. Elevated insulin not only promotes the storage of triglycerides, it also inhibits the body from breaking them down into burnable fatty acids. So, elevated insulin promotes the storage of body fat, and also inhibits the body from breaking down body fat into usable energy. It’s easy to see that elevated insulin levels will make you fat if they are not managed properly by controlling blood sugar.
The Importance of Protein
In order to develop an anabolic body, one needs to consume enough protein as well as amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. The term anabolism is defined simply as the constructive phase of metabolism where simple substances are converted into more complex compounds of living matter.
In order to help fill the body’s muscles as well as the appetite and hunger it is crucial to consume adequate protein. As mentioned by Dr. Brett Osborn, “About 40 percent of the body weight of a healthy human adult (weighing about 150 pounds) is muscle, which is composed of about 20 percent muscle protein. Thus, the human body contains about 11 to 13 pounds of muscle protein.” What this means is that muscle protein is needed and essential in the body in large part due to the stress that the human body has to undergo through lifting and carrying weight as well as maintaining body posture.
At the end of the day, what matters is whether your metabolism is working well enough to burn enough calories and whether or not your body is in taking the proper nutrients that it needs to replenish glucose reserves. When a person is increasing their protein intake it helps to restore and repair the body after injuries and speed up recovery.
The mechanical digestion of protein begins in the mouth during chewing. In the stomach, the enzyme pepsin joins in, breaking down the protein into shorter peptides. The partially digested protein then passes into the intestines, where the free-form dipeptide and tripeptide amino acids immediately begin to be absorbed. Enzymes continue to digest any polypeptides as they travel down the intestines. Once the free-form dipeptide and tripeptide amino acids enter the bloodstream, they are transported to the liver, where a few things may happen to them. They may be converted into other amino acids, they may be used to make other proteins, they may be further broken down and either used for energy or excreted, or they may be placed into circulation and continue on to the rest of the body.
Your protein intake must be staggered throughout the day to deliver a steady supply of amino acids to the blood and to provide ample nitrogen (donated by the amino acids) to shift the body into an anabolic, or muscle-building, state. Whether you derive the protein from food or supplements depends on convenience and availability.
According to Bodybuilder, MHP CEO, and owner Gerald Dente, “The rules for success with protein intake are the following:
- Consume 35 percent of your total calories from protein sources high in essential and critical five amino acids.
- Consume different sources of protein. For example, one meal of eggs and egg whites, one meal with tuna, one meal with chicken, some red meat at one meal, and a couple of supplement meals will provide a wide variety of absorption rates and amino acid profiles. This variety will ensure that you receive a steady source of high levels of all the amino acids necessary for muscle growth. Remember, different proteins score differently in different categories, such as in the biological value (BV) category, so a variety of the highest-scoring protein sources is the best.
- Eat five to seven meals per day, two and a half to three hours apart. Three to four of these meals should be from whole foods and two or three meals per day should be from protein supplements. Research shows that meal frequency is important to maintain nitrogen retention and improve protein synthesis.
- Choose protein supplements wisely and take them at critical times of the day. A supplement combining whey, hemp, and casein provides a quick, medium, and slow release of the essential and critical five amino acids arginine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, and glutamine.”
If you maintain and follow the guidelines above, it will greatly help your body’s ability to maintain an anabolic state of muscle recovery and growth.
References:
- Dente Gerald, Hopkins J Kevin. Macrobolic Nutrition: Priming Your Body To Build Muscle and Burn Fat. North Bergen, NJ: Basic Health Publications, Inc. 2004. Print.
- Dunford Marie, Doyle Andrew J. Nutrition for Sport and Exercise 2nd Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
- Erasmus, Udo. Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill: The Complete Guide to Fats, Oils, Cholesterol, and Human Health. Burnaby, BC, Canada: Alive, 1993. Print.
- Lieberman Michael PhD, Marks D. Allan MD, Smith Colleen PhD. Marks’ Essentials of Medical Biochemistry: A Clinical Approach. Baltimore, Maryland: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Print.
- Mindell Earl. New Vitamin Bible: Revised and Updated. New York, NY: Grand Central Life & Style, 2011. Print.
- Osborn Brett. Get Serious: A Neurosurgeon’s Guide To Optimal Health and Fitness. Bothell, WA: Book Publishers Network, 2014. Print.
Recent Comments