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Lismore Session 2 Session 2

Unit Summary

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit

Credit points

12

AQF level

7

Level of learning

Intermediate

Former School/College

Former School of Health and Human Sciences

Pre-requisites

NUT00214 - Food and Nutrition in Health AND CHE00002 - Biochemistry

Co-requisites

NUT00215 - Nutrition Across the Lifespan

Unit aim

Provides students with knowledge of nutrition biochemistry and the role of nutrients in human metabolism with emphasis on essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and selected bioactive substances.  For both macronutrients and micronutrients, the digestion, absorption, metabolism, function in health, requirements, deficiency states, and nutrient interactions will be explored.

Unit content

  1. Introductory pharmacology
  2. Carbohydrates
    • Carbohydrate (digestible and non-digestible) digestion, absorption, metabolism
    • Pre- and probiotics
  3. Lipids
    • Fatty acid digestion, absorption, metabolism
    • Essential fatty acid requirements and roles in health
  4. Proteins
    • Amino acid digestion and absorption
    • Nitrogen metabolism
    • Amino acid requirements and roles in health
  5. Micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and selected bioactive nutrients)
    • Digestion, absorption, metabolism and function
    • Therapeutics, sources and dose
    • Nutrient-nutrient and drug-nutrient interactions

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

GA1: , GA2: , GA3: , GA4: , GA5: , GA6: , GA7:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to: GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 discuss the role of selected nutrients on key metabolic pathways in the human body
2 identify the integrated role of dietary carbohydrate, pre- and probiotics, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids and micronutrients in maintaining human health
3 evaluate the therapeutic role (including actions, interactions, contraindications, cautions and toxicity) of key micronutrients in maintaining and regaining health
4 apply and interpret analytical methods appropriate to the analysis of selected nutrients in food.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. discuss the role of selected nutrients on key metabolic pathways in the human body
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  2. identify the integrated role of dietary carbohydrate, pre- and probiotics, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids and micronutrients in maintaining human health
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  3. evaluate the therapeutic role (including actions, interactions, contraindications, cautions and toxicity) of key micronutrients in maintaining and regaining health
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  4. apply and interpret analytical methods appropriate to the analysis of selected nutrients in food.
    • GA1:

Prescribed texts

  • Gropper, SS & Smith, JL, 2013, Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism, 6th edn, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, USA.
Prescribed texts may change in future teaching periods.