Nutrition and Food Sciences: Introduction to Biochemistry

Exploring biological processes at the molecular level and how they are controlled. Topics include enzymes, gene expression, and metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Restricted to Nutrition and Food Sciences and Dietetics, Nutrition and Food Sciences majors; others by Instructor permission. Prerequisites: CHEM 1580; or CHEM 2580 and CHEM 2585; or other acceptable coursework in organic chemistry.

Prereqs enforced by the system: CHEM 1580 or (CHEM 2580 and CHEM 2585); NFS majors only Open to degree and PACE students

We all know that we need to eat (i.e. take in food as energy) to stay alive. But how does that food get converted from, say a potato or olive oil, to a form of energy that can actually be used by cells? Despite what some vitamin commercials say, your cells don’t get hungry or snack on bits of the food you eat! Biochemistry explores the enormous number of chemical reactions in our bodies involved in transforming energy – converting energy present in the foods we eat to a form that’s usable by cells, and storing excess energy for later. Collectively, these reactions are what we refer to as “metabolism.” For this course, we’ll skip over digestion and start at the molecular level, focusing on metabolism of the two main energy molecules in cells, carbohydrates and lipids (aka fats). As we’ll see, if left alone, the chemical reactions involved in metabolism would occur VERY slowly. That’s where enzymes come in – proteins that ramp up rates of cellular reactions. We’ll also explore how metabolic processes are controlled in our bodies to make sure we’re not using up energy we might need later or storing energy we need right now. At the end of the course, we’ll look at a different set of pathways to explore how our genetic information (i.e. DNA) is copied and used to direct the formation of proteins. Throughout the class, we’ll see how an understanding of biochemistry can answer questions such as: Why is carbon monoxide so toxic? What’s the rationale behind carbo-loading? Why do fats yield more calories per gram than carbohydrates? Prerequisites: CHEM 1580 or CHEM 2580/2585 or acceptable coursework in organic chemistry.

Information regarding required course materials will be distributed via email approximately two weeks before classes start.

Assessments will include weekly homeworks, participation (in-class and discussion board contributions), and quizzes with an option to replace your final quiz average with an cumulative final exam.