A balanced diet contains all the ingredients needed to maintain homeostasis. many important compounds in the body contain nitrog
en atoms (n compounds), including amino acids, the bases of rna and dna, creatine, and porphyrins. despite the importance of nitrogen, the body neither stores nitrogen nor maintains reserves of n compounds. the body can synthesize the carbon chains of the n compounds but must obtain nitrogen atoms either by recycling n compounds or by absorbing nitrogen from the diet. pregnant or lactating women like justine actively synthesize n compounds. when an individual absorbs more nitrogen than he or she excretes, he or she is said to be in what state
He or she is said to be in a positive
nitrogen balance state.
Nitrogen balance is the
traditional method of determining dietary protein requirements. Determining
dietary protein requirements using nitrogen balance requires that all nitrogen
inputs and losses are carefully collected, to ensure that all nitrogen exchange
is accounted for. Positive nitrogen balance is associated with periods of
growth, hypothyroidism, tissue repair, and pregnancy. This means that the
intake of nitrogen into the body is greater than the loss of nitrogen from the
body, so there is an increase in the total body pool of protein.
Mycorrhizae are symbiotic relationships that form between fungi and plants. The fungi colonize the root system of a host plant, providing increased water and nutrient absorption capabilities while the plant provides the fungus with carbohydrates formed from photosynthesis.
