List of macronutrients
This list is a categorization of the most common food components based on their macronutrients. Macronutrients can refer to the chemical substances that humans consume in the largest quantities (See Nutrient);
Macronutrients that provide energy
There are three principal classes of macronutrients: carbohydrate, protein and fat.[1] Macronutrients are defined as a class of chemical compounds which humans consume in relatively large quantities compared to vitamins and minerals which provide humans with energy. Fat has a food energy content of 38 kilojoules per gram (9 kilocalories per gram) proteins and carbohydrates 17 kJ/g (4 kcal/g).[2]
Water makes up a large proportion of the total mass ingested as part of a normal diet but it does not provide any nutritional value. Ethanol provides calories but there is no requirement for ethanol as an essential nutrient. Even though macros and calories are different concepts, they are dependent on each other. While macros refer to the three types of main nutrients that you need - protein, carbohydrate, and fat, calories, on the other hand, refer to the nutritional value of your meal.[3]
Carbohydrates
- Glucose
- Sucrose
- Ribose
- Amylose (a major component of starch)
- Amylopectin
- Maltose
- Galactose
- Fructose
- Lactose
Protein
Essential and non-essential amino acids
- Alanine
- Arginine
- Aspartic acid (aspartate)
- Asparagine
- Cysteine
- acid (glutamate)
- Glutamine
- Glycine
- Histidine
- Isoleucine
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
- Proline
- Serine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Tyrosine
- Valine
Fats
Saturated (i.e., stable)[4] fatty acids
- Acetic acid (C2)
- Propionic acid (C3)
- Butyric acid (C4)
- Valeric acid (C5)
- Caproic acid (C6)
- Caprylic acid (C8)
- Capric acid (C10)
- Lauric acid (C12)
- Myristic acid (C14)
- Pentadecanoic acid (C15)
- Palmitic acid (C16)
- Margaric acid (C17)
- Stearic acid (C18)
- Arachidic acid (C20)
- Behenic acid (C22)
- Lignoceric acid (C24)
- Cerotic acid (C26)
Monounsaturated (i.e., semi-stable) fatty acids
Polyunsaturated (i.e., unstable) fatty acids
- Linoleic acid (LA) - an essential fatty acid
- α-Linolenic acid (ALA) - an essential fatty acid
- Stearidonic acid (SDA)
- Gamma-Linolenic acid (GLA)
- Arachidonic acid (AA)
- Eicosatetraenoic acid (ETA)
- Timnodonic acid (EPA)
- Clupanodonic acid (DPA)
- Cervonic acid (DHA)
Essential fatty acids
- α-Linolenic acid ALA (18:3) omega-3 fatty acid
- Linoleic acid LA (18:2) omega-6 fatty acid
Macronutrients that do not provide energy
Oxygen
Oxygen is essential for life.
Water
Water is also essential for life. It provides the medium in which all metabolic processes proceed. It is necessary for the absorption of macronutrients and micronutrients but it provides no nutritional energy.
Fibre
Dietary fibre from fruits, vegetables and grain foods. Insoluble dietary fibre is not absorbed in the human digestive tract but is important in maintaining the bulk of a bowel movement to avoid constipation.[5] Soluble fibre can be metabolized by bacteria residing in the large intestine.[6][7][8] Soluble fibre is marketed as serving a prebiotic function with claims for promoting "healthy" intestinal bacteria.[9] Bacterial metabolism of soluble fibre also produces short-chain fatty acids like butyric acid which may be absorbed into intestinal cells as a source of food energy.[6][7][8]
- cellulose
- methyl cellulose
- hemicellulose
- lignans
- plant waxes
- resistant starches
- beta-glucans
- pectins
- natural gums
- inulin
- oligosaccharides
See also
References
- ^ Prentice, Andrew M (October 2005). "Macronutrients as sources of food energy". Public Health Nutrition. 8 (7a): 932–939. doi:10.1079/PHN2005779. PMID 16277812.
- ^ "Chapter 3: Calculation Of The Energy Content Of Foods – Energy Conversion Factors". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ "Macronutrient SpecIfic Diet". Thomas Marston. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- ^ "Nutrition in Preventative Medicine". Health Science Center, University of Texas. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "High-Fibre Diet - Colon & Rectal Surgery Associates". www.colonrectal.org. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
- ^ a b Vital M, Howe AC, Tiedje JM (April 2014). "Revealing the bacterial butyrate synthesis pathways by analyzing (meta)genomic data". mBio. 5 (2): e00889. doi:10.1128/mBio.00889-14. PMC 3994512. PMID 24757212.
- ^ a b Lupton JR (February 2004). "Microbial degradation products influence colon cancer risk: the butyrate controversy". The Journal of Nutrition. 134 (2): 479–82. doi:10.1093/jn/134.2.479. PMID 14747692.
- ^ a b Cummings JH, Macfarlane GT, Englyst HN (February 2001). "Prebiotic digestion and fermentation". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 73 (2 Suppl): 415S–420S. doi:10.1093/ajcn/73.2.415s. PMID 11157351.
- ^ Brownawell AM, Caers W, Gibson GR, Kendall CW, Lewis KD, Ringel Y, Slavin JL (May 2012). "Prebiotics and the health benefits of fiber: current regulatory status, future research, and goals". The Journal of Nutrition. 142 (5): 962–74. doi:10.3945/jn.112.158147. PMID 22457389.