Nutrition: Organisms, nutrients, and health

Definition and purpose of nutrition

Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food and water to support life. By taking in substances called nutrients (which include macronutrients and micronutrients), organisms metabolize them to generate energy and to build chemical structures needed for survival, growth, and reproduction. If an essential nutrient is consumed in too little or too much amounts, malnutrition or nutrient-excess conditions can result. The purpose of nutrition is therefore to ensure the body receives the right nutrients in the right amounts and uses them effectively in metabolic reactions. Different organisms require different nutrients and obtain them in different ways: animals typically get nutrients by consuming other organisms, plants acquire nutrients from soil and the atmosphere, fungi absorb nutrients by breaking down surrounding matter through enzymes and absorbing products via mycelium, and many microorganisms obtain nutrients through varied strategies such as photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, or predation. Nutritional science studies these processes, with a strong emphasis on human nutrition due to its importance for health.

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How organisms obtain nutrients

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