According to early health research, the concept of "cell nutrition" was considered in a primitive sense. They said that it was simply necessary for survival. Like, a living creature needs a minimum amount of nutrients that must be present in the diet to prevent the appearance of externally visible malfunctions or obvious diseases. In the modern world, thanks to advanced technologies and the ability to look inside the body, one can trace how nutrients enter the cell, what other processes occur there. Importantly, this new look helps to understand why a lack of important nutritional components can lead to low energy levels, early aging, or illness.
What is a cell?
Cells are the fundamental units of life that make up all tissues and organs. These tiny components constantly interact with each other, responding to all kinds of signals. Nutrition of the body's cells is vital, because if their functioning is not carried out effectively, this can lead to a decrease in overall physical parameters, the appearance of diseases.
One of the many important functions that cells perform in everyday life is to preserve DNA from destruction. In addition, they provide energy to the entire body. DNA is stored in the nucleus. There are many ways to keep it safe. However, studies have shown that improper nutrition of cells with a low content of antioxidants and other phytonutrients, combined with the environmental effects of toxins such as pesticides, can lead to DNA damage. This damage, also called mutation, can affect the ability to produce energy. In addition, it provokes the appearance of tissue inflammation, their premature aging.
The role of nutrition in cell life
On average, an adult has about 30 trillion cells. At the same time, every day thousands of new units are replicated from old, worn or damaged. Cell nutrition is the process of providing nutritious raw materials in order to create new and maintain old units. In addition, some nutrients also protect against damage and provide the body with the necessary energy. Despite the fact that cells of various tissues and organs may differ in shape, size, properties, they contain similar components that perform specific tasks.
Nutrition and cell membrane
A shell that encapsulates cells is called a cell membrane. It serves as a structural boundary that protects the internal content from external interference and ingress of unwanted agents. At the same time, this shell serves as a semi-permeable filter that provides the cell’s vital processes, nutrition. Through it, nutrients can enter, and waste, on the contrary, is excreted from the body. All this contributes to intercellular communication and coordination of all physiological functions of the body.
The membrane consists mainly of fats, which, being insoluble in water, form a natural barrier that forms boundaries and structures. The main function of lipids is to create shape and structural stability. Another important component is proteins. They provide communication and serve as a means of attachment. For example, bone cells attach to bone tissue through proteins in cell membranes. Their important function is also the transmission of signals when taking nutrients and removing waste.
The main function of the cell membrane
Cells are the building blocks of all physical structures. Everything in the body - from the hair on the head to the nails on the fingers, as well as the skin, blood, organs and bones - consists of cells. Their walls, called the cell membrane, are like fencing of a fortress, which allow nutrients to pass through and repel what could harm. And although they differ from each other (blood cells are unlike nerves, bones are different from muscle ones, etc.), they all have a basic structure and need such a vital process as cell nutrition. It is the main source of energy and vitality.
Cell nutrition and energy production: mitochondria
The cell membrane surrounds the cells like skin covering the body. In the same way that the body has tissues and organs to perform certain functions, each cell has its own miniature version. They are called organoids. Some of the most important organelles responsible for the production of energy from nutrients are mitochondria. There are a lot of them in the body.
Each cell contains from several hundred to more than two thousand mitochondria, depending on their energy needs. For example, heart and skeletal muscle cells, which have a very high energy requirement to support constant movement within the body, have 40% of their area occupied by these formations. On average, the human body contains more than one quadrillion of these components. Unlike the outer membrane of the cell, each mitochondria has two membranes: the inner and outer. The first consists of 75% protein - this is much more than any other cell border. These proteins are part of the electron transport chain and play a key role in the generation of ATP.
How is the nutrition process at the cellular level?
Unicellular formations also have organelles similar to those found in more complex organisms. They are needed for the successful completion of many life processes. The central control function is directly related to the cell nucleus, which has DNA and controls the synthesis of proteins in the cell. Mitochondria are responsible for the process of cellular respiration and the conversion of glucose into energy. Ribosomes guarantee the functioning of transport channels in the endoplasmic reticulum. The cell membrane selectively controls the movement of materials.
Proper nutrition plays an important role in neutralizing harmful substances and maintaining health at the cellular level, as it provides cells with nutrients that serve as building blocks and protect important functions. For example, energy production. Features of cell nutrition are associated with the work of each of its components. Dietary proteins are subsequently decomposed into amino acids, and then re-synthesized into new similar substances. Some amino acids are also used to make signaling chemicals such as hormones. Those, in turn, are an integral part of intercellular communication. Providing the body with enough essential nutrients can help maintain proper membrane structure.
Optimal cellular nutrition
An important process that affects the vital activity of a cell is nutrition. It should occur under optimal conditions. At the same time, cell membranes are the basis for good health. Just as building a house is impossible to imagine without laying a solid foundation, a healthy, normally functioning body should have a solid foundation. Assimilation is the subtle process of getting nutrients into the cell itself through the membrane, which must be healthy, soft and flexible for optimal functioning.
What does a person have for better cellular nutrition? The vital activity of each education begins with the use of healthy food from environmentally friendly products. It rarely happens that the usual daily diet includes only the necessary substances and in the amount in which it is really needed. Here, good nutritional supplements can serve a good function, which can increase the level of cellular nutrition to the optimal level.
Seven life processes
Each cell has several tasks that it performs:
- Reproduction. The work of offspring is one of the most important life processes.
- Motion. The cell must be mobile. She is constantly in a position to change her form.
- Metabolism is the main biological process for self-preservation, which includes catabolic and anabolic processes.
- Respiration - the generation of energy for metabolic processes, the reproduction of cells and their so-called maintenance.
- Food. Eating can be carried out in various ways, depending on whether the body is unicellular or multicellular.
- Homeostasis is a state of dynamic equilibrium of an organism with its environment using at least one of the 5 senses.
- Isolation - getting rid of waste products.
Methods of feeding various organisms
Nutrition is essential for energy and growth. All living things on the planet need food. But in their bodies, cell nutrition methods can vary. Plants are able to create their own products through photosynthesis. They use sunlight to turn simple molecules of carbon dioxide and water into more complex carbohydrates. Animals, in turn, have to earn their livelihood at the expense of other animals or plants. In this case, the reverse process occurs. More complex substances break down into small, simple, soluble molecules, which can subsequently be used for energy and growth.
The human body consists of trillions of tiny building blocks, each of which in one way or another takes part in vital processes: respiration, energy production, movement, digestion, excretion, reproduction and others. Cells are similar to miniature organs, each of which is surrounded by a protective membrane. Sometimes it happens that nutrition and cell growth become impossible. This happens due to the insolvency of the absorption of substances or the elimination of waste. In this case, the cell becomes toxic and can harm the body by not allowing it to function properly.