Food and Nutrition

Nutritional Metabolism and Metabolic Syndrome

15 Nutritional Metabolism and Metabolic Syndrome: Nutritional factors play a pivotal role in maintaining body homeostasis, influencing various components, systems, and processes, including susceptibility to infectious diseases. The status of nutrition significantly impacts the onset, remission, and prevalence of infectious diseases, impacting global health outcomes. According to the World Health Organization, nutrition is defined as the consumption of food tailored to meet the body's nutritional needs, emphasizing its critical role in sustaining a healthy metabolism. Adequate nutrition fuels metabolic pathways, facilitating the breakdown of substances to generate energy utilized in synthesizing essential compounds such as proteins and nucleic acids (DNA, RNA). Nutrients are essential for maintaining metabolic functions, with their intake influenced by individual requirements, physiological processes, and thresholds crucial for preventing health complications.

Metabolic syndrome represents a cluster of risk factors, not a singular disease, encompassing conditions like hypertension, diabetes, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and central obesity. Notably, metabolic syndrome contributes to atherosclerosis, characterized by plaque accumulation within arteries, leading to arterial blockages and stiffening. The resultant arterial damage predisposes individuals to blood clot formation, increasing the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or strokes.

Key Themes:

• Chemical Structures and Metabolic Pathways
• Nutritional Regulation of Metabolism
• Impact of Nutrition on Body Weight Regulation
• Metabolic Diseases and Disease-Specific Nutrition
• Effects of Sugary Foods, Artificial Sweeteners, and Trans Fats
• Dietary Strategies to Improve Metabolic Syndrome