Video Transcript
Which of the following is not a benefit that good nutrition provides? (A) It provides the energy for life processes. (B) It can cure an organism’s genetic disorders. Or (C) it provides the materials needed for growth and repair.
This question asks us to recall the benefits that good nutrition can provide and
identify the answer choice that is untrue. So, let’s first review what nutrition is. Nutrition is defined as the assimilation by living organisms of food materials that
enable them to grow, maintain themselves, and reproduce. We use the term nutrition when discussing food. Nutrition labels outline the nutrients contained in foods, such as carbohydrates,
fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. All of these compounds are ingested into the body when we consume that particular
food.
Good nutrition is very important. Nutrients, primarily carbohydrates and fats, are broken down to release energy. Glucose is an example of a carbohydrate. It is the main substrate used during cellular respiration. During this process, the energy released from glucose is transferred to the bonds of
ATP. Fats can also be used to release energy in respiration. They are also important components of cells. Phospholipids are fats that make up cell membranes. Proteins are used for growth and repair. Vitamins and minerals have many important roles, including effective functioning of
the immune system, blood, nervous system, and many, many more.
Now that we have reviewed some of the benefits of good nutrition, let’s return to our
question. We can proceed through a process of elimination, since we are looking for an answer
choice that does not describe a benefit of good nutrition. Answer choice (A) states that good nutrition provides the energy required for life
processes. We have already heard how good nutrition provides body cells with the energy that
they need to function properly. So we can eliminate answer (A). We have seen how proteins are an important nutrient for growth and repair. So answer choice (C) is true, so we can eliminate this answer too.
Answer choice (B) states that good nutrition can cure an organism’s genetic
disorders. While nutrition is extremely important, it cannot cure an organism’s genetic
disorders. Our question asks, which answer choice is not a benefit that good nutrition
provides? So the correct answer is (B). It can cure an organism’s genetic disorders.
