Human nutrition

1. HUMAN NUTRITION FOR
PUBLIC HEALTH
STUDENTS
BY
NIGATU ADMASU{BSc NURSE ,MSc Fellow }
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9/1/2023

2. Chapter one Introduction to Human Nutrition
Objective
At the end of this session students will be able to;
• Define what nutrition mean
• Describe origin & development of Nutrition
• List significance of Nutrition in general
• Describe why nutrition matters in Ethiopia?
• nutrition & the Millennium Development goal
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3. 1. Definition
• Nutrition: is the science of food, nutrients and
other substances there in, interaction and balance
in relation to health and disease, and
• The process by w/c the organism ingests, digests,
absorbs, transports, utilizes and excretes food
substances.
• Deals with the nutrients; their characteristics,
functions, body’s quantitative need for them, and
their food sources.
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4. Definition…
• Nutrient: is an active chemical component in the food.
 play specific structural or functional role in the body’s
lively activity.
• Diet: is the sequence of meals in a day.
• Balanced diet: contains all essential nutrients in the
proportion that is optimal for longer term health and
survival.
• Food: anything edible as defined based on specific
culture, religion, etc.
• Includes all foods and drinks acceptable to be
ingested by certain society.
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5. Definition…
• Macronutrients: required by our body in
larger quantity on a daily basis.
• Includes CHO, proteins and lipids.
• Upon oxidation all give energy.
• Alcohol also give energy.
• But not considered as macronutrients.
• B/s we do not need it for survival.
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6. Definition…
• Micronutrients: required in smaller quantities by the
body.
 Include vitamins and minerals.
• Nutritional assessment: is an interpretation of
anthropometric, biochemical, clinical and dietary
survey data in order to determine whether a person is
well nourished or malnourished (over or under
nourished).
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7. Definition…
 Essential nutrients:
• Absolutely necessary for growth, development, and
maintenance.
• E,g.Histamine, Isoleucine, Lucien
• Can not be made in the body to meet physiological
needs.
 Nonessential nutrients:
• Those substances that are either synthesized in the
body in adequate quantity or not necessary for
survival.
• E,g. Alanine, Arginine, Aspargine
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8. Definition…
Dietetics
• "The integration and application of principles derived
from several disciplines—including:
• nutrition, biochemistry, physiology, food science and
composition, management, food service and the
behavioral and social sciences—to achieve and
optimize human health.
• Dietetic professionals translate the scientific evidence
regarding human nutrition and use that information to
help shape the food intake or choices of the public“.
(American Dietetic Association, 2002)
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9. Definition…
Food science
• Study of the nature of foods and
• the changes that occur in them naturally and as
a result of handling and processing
Branches of nutrition
– Clinical Nutrition
• Use of nutrition as a means of treating illnesses
– Public Health Nutrition
• Promotion of good health with the primary
prevention of nutrition related diseases
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10. Definition…
Malnutrition
• Essentially means “bad nourishment”
• Refers both to under and over nutrition.
• Mostly equated with under nutrition
• Malnutrition is characterized by inadequate or
excess intake of protein, energy, and micronutrients
and the frequent infections and disorders that result in
chronic diseases.
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11. Definition…
• Malnutrition is not a disease that runs its course,
bringing immunity
• but rather it is a process, with consequences that may
extend not only into later life, but also into future
generations.
• The process of becoming malnourished often starts in
utero and may last, particularly for girls and women,
throughout the life cycle.
• Women and young children are the ones bearing the
burden of malnutrition.
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12. 2. Origin and development of Nutrition
• Hipocrates (460-359 B.C): “persons who are very
fat are apt to die earlier than those who are
slender.”
• Leonardo Davinci (1452-1519): “if you don’t
supply nourishment equal to the nourishment
departed, life will fail in vigor (physical or mental
strength and energy); And if you take away this
nourishment life is utterly destroyed.”
• Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794): explain
respiration. Known as the “father of nutrition”.
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13. Origin and development……Con’t
Notable discoveries in 19th cent. in nutrition
• 1857: Claude Bernard isolated glycogen.
• 1864: chemical methods for analysis of foodstuffs
were developed. A number of amino-acids were
isolated.
• 1870-71 French scientist Dumas prepared artificial
milk
• 1883/87: energy studies in small animals and farm
animals were initiated.
• 1899: Emil fisher began classic studies of protein
composition.
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14. Origin and development……Con’t
Notable discoveries in 20th cent in nutrition
• Vitamins were discovered.
• Essential amino-acids were identified.
• Certain minerals found to be essential.
• Foundation of nutrition education society.
• Study of nutrition at cellular level using electron
microscope (since 1933).
• The one - world concept emerged in the 20th century.
Hunger anywhere in the world is of concern to us.
• The importance of nutrition education was recognized
in this era with the founding of the ‘Nutrition
Education’ Society in 1971.
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15. How food keeps us healthy
Food is needed for energy and nutrients to exist.
It provides warmth for the body(Heat production).
To build, maintain and repair the body.
For protection against disease and infection.
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16. The importance of nutrients
 Enough food containing the necessary
nutrients should be eaten every day.
 No one food supplies all the nutrients the body
needs.
 No one nutrient is more important than the
others.
 Each nutrient does specific jobs.
 The nutrients work together to keep us healthy.
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17. The body uses nutrients to:
 For growth: the cell uses nutrients as building
materials for the new cell to grow.
 For pregnancy: during pregnancy nutrients are
needed to:
 Provide the baby and placenta to grow.
 Increase the size of uterus and breast.
 Make more blood and stores of fat that can be
mobilized during lactation.
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18.  To secret fluids: Nutrients are needed to
produce saliva, digestive juices, tears and
breast milk.
 To replace cells: The body must build new
cells to replace those that die.
 To repair tissues: After injury or illness, the
body makes new cells to repair the damaged
tissues.
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19. Why nutrition matters?
Human and Economic Costs:
Ethiopia is affected by a high level of under
nutrition (acute and chronic malnutrition).
Malnutrition is one of the main health problems
facing many women and children in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia has the second highest rate of
malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
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20. Malnutrition reduces work productivity, as
stunted, less educated and mentally impaired
adults are less productive.
For example:
Time is lost to economic activities in looking after
sick children and
Days are lost from school. This will have a
negative impact on economic growth and poverty
reduction efforts of developing countries.
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21. Why nutrition matters in Ethiopia…
Ethical imperative
• nutrition is a human right
Negative functional consequences
• Illness & Mortality
• Intelligence loss
• Reduced productivity
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22. Why nutrition matters in Ethiopia …
Malnutrition and Education
Reduces:
• Intellectual development
• School performance
• Economic productivity
• Iron deficiency anemia lowers IQ by about 9 points
• Mild iodine deficiencies lowers IQ by about 10 points
• Severe stunting associated with IQ loss of 5-10 points
• Low birth weight babies have IQs 5 points lower
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23. Why nutrition matters in Ethiopia…
Stunting & Productivity
• Height deficit as much as 11cm by 24 months of age
• Stunted children become stunted adults
• 1.4% decrease in productivity for every 1% decrease
in height
• Improved nutrition is an essential input into human &
national development
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24. Why nutrition matters in Ethiopia…
Planners from each sector need to address:
• impact of nutrition on their sector
• impact of their sector on nutrition
In Ethiopia we can focus to tackle malnutrition
On conceptual frame work and ;
1. Macroeconomic Policies
2. Sectoral Policies
3. Direct Nutrition Interventions
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25. Why nutrition matters in Ethiopia…
Macroeconomic Policies
• Trade and exchange rate policies
• Price policy (real income)
• Allocation of public expenditure
• Social safety nets (subsidies, public works &, feeding
programs, TSF…)
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26. Why nutrition matters in Ethiopia…
Sectoral Policies
• Agriculture: availability, access, and stability
• Health (especially primary)
• Education (especially primary)
• Environment
• Commerce
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27. Why nutrition matters in Ethiopia…
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28. Causes of malnutrition
• Malnutrition is multifactorial in nature‐ caused by
multiple factors at different levels
• Nutritional status is clearly compromised by diseases,
inadequate nutrient intake (immediate causes)
• These are in turn caused by underlying causes
(household food security, care practices, health
service and environment ) and basic causes ( e.g. use
of potential resources)
• Malnutrition is a subject for political debate and an
issue of immediate concern to any national
development strategies
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29. Major causes of malnutrition
• Lack of knowledge in selecting foodstuff with high
nutritive value
• Poverty and infectious diseases, drought.
• Uneven distribution of the available foods.
• Social arrest and civil conflicts.
• Increased populations; Inadequate weaning.
• Farming technique-insufficient; Poor management of
resources.
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30. Major causes of malnutrition…
• Topographical differences in different regions
(variation in productivity).
• Exploited land due to planting the same type of food
crop for many years,
• Erosion because of overgrazing and moreover the
farmers could not use the fertilizers due to many
reasons.
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31. Harmful traditional practices with regard to
nutrition
• During period of fasting important nutrients are not
eaten, such as milk, eggs, butter, meat, fish, meal
pattern, etc.
• Pork is forbidden for religious and cultural reasons.
• Lack of sun light (lack of Vitamin D) during infancy
to protect the child from the “evil eyes”.
• Discrimination in feeding among family members,
adults before children, adult males over adult females.
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32. Harmful traditional practices …
• Giving butter to neonate to swallow, hoping to keep
the intestine smooth.
• Delay to start complementary food.
• Refusing the child to give meat for fear of infection.
• Feeding children with diluted milk.
• Feed children with left over and may be contaminated
food.
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33. Best practices which favor nutrition
• Breast feeding.
• Mixing of foods E.g. Injera with wet prepared from
Cereals, Legumes and Vegetable.
• Eating cereals in the form of kolo (roasted) and nefro
(cooked).
• Additional high calories and high protein diet for
pregnant and lactating mothers.
• After the 7th day of delivery the mother and the child
warm in the sun every morning.
• Eating inset (false banana) which prevents
constipation.
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34. Best practices which favor nutrition….con’t
• Special care for children and pregnant and lactating
mothers.
• Eating wild fruits from the forest e.g. Enjory, Kega,
Sholla,
• Honey mixed with butter is eaten in the morning.
• Eating of raw vegetables and cereals.
• Taking care of elders.
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35. Nutrition’s contribution to the attainment of
MDGs goal
• Goal 1: eradicate poverty and possible hunger
Individuals lose more than 10% of life time
earnings, and many countries lose at least 2-3%
of their GDP due to malnutrition.
• Goal 2: achieve universal primary education
Reducing malnutrition increases cognitive
development and contributes to school learning
and school completion rates.
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36. Nutrition’s contributions …
• Goal 3: promote gender equality
 Anti-female biases in access to food, health, and care
resources may result in malnutrition, possibly
reducing women's access to assets. Addressing
malnutrition empowers women more than men.
• Goal 4: reduce child mortality
 Malnutrition is the underlying cause of 3.5 million
preventable child and maternal deaths a year and
accounts for 35% of disease in children under 5.
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37. Nutrition’s contributions …
• Goal 5: improve maternal health
 Micronutrient interventions can significantly reduce
maternal mortality rates.
• Goal 6: combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
 Malnutrition leaves the body more prone to disease.
Nutrition interventions Improve adherence and
treatment outcomes for ART and TB patients.
 Proper nutrition slows the development of the HIV
virus and improves the body’s acceptance of retroviral
medication.
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38. Nutrition’s contributions …
• Goal 7: ensure environmental sustainability
• Given projected population increases and land
and resource scarcity, agricultural systems will
be stretched. New nutritional interventions can
offer viable and sustainable solutions.
• Goal 8: global partnership for development
• Addressing malnutrition and hunger requires a
coordinated approach that Includes all actors:
donors, donor countries, and aid agencies
combined with private sector innovation.
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