Health Tooty Fruity

Weight gain can be understood as resulting from taking in more calories than are burned for energy. Limiting calories in the diet and increasing exercise are both valid approaches to weight loss. It is important to note that the ability of the body to burn nutrients for energy may be limited by deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals.

Much of the modern diet is made from refined grains such as white flour. White flour is commonly found in breads and noodles. White flour is routinely enriched with certain nutrients. Other nutrients are reduced in the refining of the grains, and they are not added back in the enrichment process. Enrichment of white flour normally consists of adding thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and iron to the refined grains. White rice is also depleted of some vitamins and minerals, compared to brown rice. Niacin, vitamin B6, and folic acid are greatly reduced during the processing of white rice.

Pantothenic acid and magnesium are two nutrients important for weight loss that are depleted during refining, but not added back to refined grains. Empty foods such as sugar and alcohol are devoid of the vitamins and minerals needed for their metabolism.

The ability to burn stored fat in the body is important for losing weight. Riboflavin, niacin, biotin, and vitamin B12 are all needed to prepare stored fats for burning in the metabolic machinery of the body. Even if these vitamins are present in sufficient amounts, the fats must be synthesized with acetyl-coenzyme A (also known as acetyl-CoA) in order to be burned.

 Pantothenic acid is a necessary component of acetyl-coenzyme A. About 43 percent of the pantothenic acid in whole wheat is lost in the milling process. Enriched grains such as white flour are not enriched with pantothenic acid. In addition, freezing and processing can decrease the remaining pantothenic acid by approximately half. Deficiency of pantothenic acid may be one limiting factor in energy production. Pantothenic acid, in acetyl-coenzyme A, is at the center of energy production. It is needed not only for fat burning, but also in the burning of carbohydrates and protein.

Thiamin, vitamin B1, plays a key role in the burning of energy in all cells. Thiamin is part of the coenzyme thiaminpyrophosphate. This enzyme helps convert carbohydrates to acetyl-coenzyme A. This is a normal step in the production of energy from carbohydrates. Thiamin is added to enriched grains and is not normally deficient, although marginal thiamin deficiency affects about one-quarter of the people in the United States and Canada.

Magnesium is needed to convert thiamin to its active enzyme form, thiaminpyrophosphate. Thus, a deficiency of magnesium can limit energy production in  the body by limiting the amount of thiamin that can be converted to its active form. If carbohydrates cannot be burned for energy, they may be stored as body fat. An average of 76 percent of the magnesium in whole wheat is removed in the refining process and none is added back. About 70 percent of the magnesium in brown rice is lost in the conversion to white rice.

In addition to its role in activating thiamin, magnesium is needed by an enzyme that controls the first four steps of aerobic energy production. Deficiency of magnesium can slow down this energy-producing cycle. Most energy production and energy transfer in cells uses adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which exists as a complex with magnesium.

Vitamin B6 is needed to release the energy from certain carbohydrates. Vitamin B6 is needed by a coenzyme that helps release blood sugar from glycogen (stored blood sugar). Only 13 percent of the Vitamin B6 in whole wheat remains after it is refined into white flour. White rice contains only 34 percent of the vitamin B6 present in brown rice. Vitamin B6 is not normally added back to grains during enrichment. Unfortunately, the vitamin B6 content of other common carbohydrates, such as sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and alcohol is very low. Without enough vitamin B6, it is more difficult to burn carbohydrates.

Energy metabolism in cells is controlled by thyroid hormones. Both iodine and selenium are needed by thyroid hormones to stimulate metabolism. Four ions of dietary iodine are incorporated into the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4). Selenium is needed for thyroxine to be converted into the active thyroid hormone T3.

Without both iodine and selenium, the thyroid gland cannot regulate metabolism. Iodine is added to salt in the United States and Canada. Even so, about 11 percent of Americans are low in dietary iodine, and about seven percent of pregnant women are deficient in dietary iodine.

Iron deficiency is probably the most common nutrient deficiency in the United States and the world. Iron deficiency affects about one billion people worldwide. Iron is important in aerobic energy production in the cell in several different ways. Iron-containing cytochromes are essential as part of the electron transport chain.

The electron transport chain moves electrons to charge up adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy battery of the cell. An iron-sulfur protein is also used in the electron transport chain. Another enzyme used in aerobic energy production needs iron and vitamin B2. Iron works with vitamin B3, niacin, to transport electrons in the electron transport chain. The final step in the electron transport chain uses a complex containing iron and two copper atoms. Copper is used in an enzyme called cytochrome c oxidase in the energyproducing  itochondria in the cell. The availability of copper is needed to make ATP.

Potassium is needed by an enzyme called pyruvate kinase. This enzyme is used to break down carbohydrates for energy production in the cell. Without enough potassium, it may be more difficult to burn carbohydrates.