difference between micro and macro nutrients? Any ideas ?

[Lowblow]

hi everyone.. can anyone please tell me the difference between micro and macro nutrients?

[Technoid]

Macronutrients are Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins.

Micronutrients are Vitamins (like B12) and Minerals (like Magnesium or Zinc)

The difference is in the quantities needed, Macronutrients are needed in grams. Micronutrients are needed in mg(milligrams) or mcg (micrograms).

[Lowblow in reply to Technoid]

hi technoid ..

I knew you’d know this !! So had a telephone consultation with gastroenterologist today and he mentioned that he does think I can absorb micro nutrients.. have to have a capsule endoscopy where you swallow the camera apparently this means they can see in your small bowel … he said my condition is very complicated !! Not sure exactly what it is but said hel have more answers once he’s seen the endoscopy results!! Is there a part of your body that absorbs the micro nutrients and a place that absorbs the macro nutrients? Or would that be too simple !! Just that I mentioned I’m overweight and not really sure how as food enters my mouth and is out the other end generally before I’ve even finished the meal !! ( sorry I know that’s far too much information) .. I also have had blood in stools as well as undigested food .. trust me to have a complicated illness 😩.. I’d be very grateful for your expert opinion

[Technoid in reply to Lowblow]

" Is there a part of your body that absorbs the micro nutrients and a place that absorbs the macro nutrients? Or would that be too simple !"

Yes , too simple. B12 absorption is one of the most complex ones, you can take a look on my primer to see how many steps are involved. There are a lot of things that can go wrong. But digestion, absorption and gut health is super complex. I can lookup or answer about specific nutrients but there is no simple answer that applies to everything. My Nutrient Metabolism book is 825 pages, Nutrition college textbook is 650 pages. Its fascinating and complex stuff.

Things like the microbiome and the importance of dietary diversity and dietary fiber to the gut microbiome are things which I think are only really starting to be better understood in the last 10 years or so with much research still ongoing.

Bottom line is that dietary, gut and absorption issues are of absolutely central importance to health, way more than most people think (outside this forum at least). I hope you can find a way to settle your stomach issues working with gastroenterologist.

Most people think that they are eating healthy but I find behind that there is widespread disagreement on what that means. When I say "eating healthy", I'm talking about any diet that fully meets the guidelines here : hsph.harvard.edu/nutritions... .

For thise with food tolerance issues, especially with FODMAPS, some of the advice may be difficult or impossible to initially follow until your gut health improves, this is something again to work with gastroenterologist and/or registered dietician on.

Along with keeping an open mind to treat any gut infections etc as needed - you can be doing everything right from a nutrition perspective but still become very ill if an absorption issues arises, whether from genetic heritability or or infections, as we're all aware.

[Rexz in reply to Lowblow]

I can't add to much to Technoids excellent responses. But yes, micronutrients are absorbed in different parts of the small intestine. Two examples are B12 and iron. The most complex, as Technoid stated, is B12, bound to the protein Intrinsic Factor, is absorbed in the Terminal Ilium or the very last part of the small intestine. However Iron, for instance, bound to the protein Transerrin, is absorbed in the duodenum and proximal jejunum or first part of the small intestine.

Rex

[Lowblow]

thank you so much technoid.. I knew that my analysis was far too simple !! Lol .. I have positive IFAB, endoscopy showed chronic atrophy gastritis and then they going h-pylori in the samples they took when they did the endoscopy.,

Have had low b12, low ferritin on and off , hoes just over range with iron tablets but always goes back down quickly , low vitamin d , and low folate..

was expecting gastroenterologist to say “ yeah we can see what’s causing b12 deficiency now ( gastritis and h-pylori ) but he didn’t !! Said needs more investigation and mentioned doesn’t look like I can absorb micronutrients.. that’s why I wondered if there absorbed somewhere different to macro nutrients… really appreciate your response

[Technoid in reply to Lowblow]

yes with chronic autoimmune atrophic gastritis, micronutrient absorption can be reduced. Found the following in a paper on the subject:

"the stomach’s secretion of essential substances, such as hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor, is reduced, leading to digestive impairments. The most common is vitamin B12 deficiency, which results in a megaloblastic anemia and iron malabsorption, leading to iron deficiency anemia."

"Moreover, the deficiency of several vitamins and micronutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin D, folic acid and calcium, has been described in patients with CAAG[10,11] or long-standing achlorhydria due to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) therapy or gastrectomy[12]. The pathogenic mechanism underlying these changes seems to be the increased destruction or decreased absorption of nutrients in the gastric mucosa, possibly due to the elevated pH and bacterial overgrowth"

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Lowblow]

thank you for such a detailed response