Nutritional Biochemistry

The chemical elements humans consume in the largest quantities are carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur. The classes of chemical compounds humans consume in the largest quantities and which provide bulk energy is carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Water and atmospheric oxygen also must be consumed in large quantities, but are not always considered “food” or “nutrients”. A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism’s met