Animal Survival

ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS
 There are four classes of essential
nutrients: essential fatty acids,
essential amino acids, minerals,
and vitamins.

 Essential amino acids are important

for protein production. Animals
require 20 types of amino acids for
this.

 Most animals, including humans,

need eight essential amino acids
from their diets. It should be noted
that infants need histidine, a ninth
amino acid.
ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS OF THE BODY

Carbohydrates

Proteins (amino acids)

Fats

Vitamins & Minerals

 PROTEI
NS
 A diet that provides insufficient
amounts of one or more amino acids
causes protein deficiency.
 Protein deficiency is the most
common type of nutritional
deficiency in humans. Children are
often the victims of protein
deficiency. These children often
have impaired mental and physical
development.
 Proteins in animal products, such as
meat, eggs, and cheese, are termed
as complete because they provide all
the essential amino acids in their
proper proportions.
 FATTY
ACIDS
 Essential fatty acids are also
needed by animals since these are
fatty acids that they cannot
synthesize. Essential fatty acids
are unsaturated, which means that
they contain one or more double
bonds.

 For instance, humans require

linoleic acids to synthesize the
phospholipids in cellular
membranes. Since vegetables,
seeds, and grains provide almost
all of the essential fatty acids,
deficiencies of these are rare.
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
The following is the list of minerals required by humans:
 Vitamins are organic molecules that need to be acquired
from the diet in very small amounts. For instance, vitamin calcium (Ca)
B2 is converted by the body to FAD, which is a coenzyme phosphorous (P)
used in metabolic processes, including cellular respiration.
 sulfur (S)
 Thirteen essential vitamins for humans have been
 potassium (K)
identified:
 chlorine (Cl)
 vitamin B (thiamine)
 sodium (Na)
 vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
 magnesium (Mg)
 Niacin (B3)
 iron (Fe)
 vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)  fluorine (F)

 vitamin B5 (panthothenic acid)  zinc (Zn)

 vitamin B9 (folic acid/folacin)  copper (Cu)

 vitamin B12, biotin  Manganese (Mn)

 iodine (I)
 vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
 cobalt (Co)
 vitamin A (retinol)
 selenium (Se)
 vitamin D
 chromium (Cr)
 vitamin E (tocopherol)
 molybdenum (Mo)

 vitamin K (phylloquinone).
 DIETARY DEFICIENCIES
 Diets that fail to meet the basic dietary requirements can lead to
malnourishment or undernourishment.
 Malnourishment has the following possible effects: deformities,
disease, and even death.

 Undernourishment is the result of a diet that supplies less than

the chemical energy that the body requires.
- wasting, stunting, underweight, and deficiencies in vitamins and
minerals.
 OVER NOURISHMENT AND
OBESITY
 The consumption of more calories than the body needs
is termed as over nourishment.

 It causes obesity, which is the excess accumulation of

fat. Obesity, in turn, contributes to a number of health
problems. The most prominent health problem caused
by obesity is diabetes mellitus type II.

 It also contributes to cancer of the colon, breast, and

cardiovascular diseases that lead to strokes and heart
attacks.
FOOD
PROCESSING
 HUMAN DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

 The digestive system is made up of the digestive tract and other

organs that help the body break down and absorb food.
 It is a long, twisting tube that starts at the mouth and goes through
the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and
anus.
 The digestive system breaks down food into nutrients such as
carbohydrates, fats and proteins. They can then be absorbed
into the bloodstream so the body can use them for energy, growth
and repair.
 Unused materials are discarded as faeces (poo).
HUMAN DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
 Food processing can be divided into four stages: ingestion, digestion,
absorption, and elimination.

• The first stage, ingestion, is the act of eating.

INGESTION Food can be acquired in both liquid and solid
forms.

• the second stage, digestion, food is broken down

DIGESTION into molecules that are small enough for the body
to absorb. Mechanical Digestion and Chemical
Digestion

• The third stage, absorption, is when the animal’s

ABSORPTION cells take up small molecules, such as amino acids
and simple sugars.

• Lastly, elimination completes the process as

ELIMINATION undigested material passes out of the digestive
system.
 HOW DOES THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
WORK?
 Mouth. The digestive process starts in your mouth when you chew. Your
salivary glands make saliva, a digestive juice, which moistens food so it moves
more easily through your esophagus into your stomach. Saliva also has an
enzyme (amylase) that begins to break down starches in your food.

 Esophagus. After you swallow, peristalsis pushes the food down your esophagus
into your stomach.

 Epiglottis. The epiglottis is a leaf-shaped flap of cartilage located behind the

tongue. The main function of the epiglottis is to seal off the windpipe during
eating, so that food is not accidentally inhaled.

 Stomach. Glands in your stomach lining make stomach acid and enzymes (HCl-
hydrochloric acid) that break down food. Muscles of your stomach mix the food
with these digestive juices.
 Pancreas. Your pancreas makes a digestive juice that has enzymes that break down
carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The pancreas delivers the digestive juice to the
small intestine through small tubes called ducts.

 Liver. Your liver makes a digestive juice called bile that helps digest fats and some
vitamins. Bile ducts carry bile from your liver to your gallbladder for storage, or to
the small intestine for use.

 Gallbladder. Your gallbladder stores bile between meals. When you eat, your
gallbladder squeezes bile through the bile ducts into your small intestine.
 Small intestine. Your small intestine makes digestive juice, which mixes with bile
and pancreatic juice to complete the breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
Bacteria in your small intestine make some of the enzymes you need to digest
carbohydrates. Your small intestine moves water from your bloodstream to help break
down food. Your small intestine also absorbs water with other nutrients.

 Large intestine and anus. The lining of the large intestine absorbs water, mineral
salts and vitamins. Undigested fibre is mixed with mucus and bacteria — which
partly break down the fibre — to nourish the cells of the large intestine wall and so
help keep the large intestine healthy. Feces are formed and stored in the last part of
the large intestine (the rectum) before being passed out of the body through the anus.
 ENERGY SOURCES AND STORES
 Animals make use of certain sources of fuel before others
when they derive energy from their diets. Nearly of the ATP
(adenosinetriphosphate) in animal metabolism is based on the
oxidation of energy-rich organic molecules, such as
carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, in cellular respiration.
 Fats are rich in energy. Oxidizing a gram of fat releases about
twice the energy that is released from oxidizing a gram of protein
or carbohydrates.
 Adipose (fat) cells represent a second site for the storage of
energy in the body. If glycogen storage sites are full, and there is
still excess energy ingested, the excess is usually stored as fat.
When more energy is required than is acquired from the animal’s
diet, then the body expends liver glycogen first and then draws
on muscle glycogen and then fat.
 WHAT ARE COMMON CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM?
Common digestive problems include:
 Indigestion

 Diarrhea

 Constipation

 Acid reflux

 Food poisoning

Other problems are connected to serious conditions that affect portions of the digestive
system, including:
 Hepatitis

 Crohn’s disease (digestive tract inflammation)

 Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

 Diabetes

 Cirrhosis of the liver

 Cancers: colon, stomach, pancreatic, intestinal, and liver.

END OF
DISCUSSION