1. Overview of nutrition

Question 1

What are some factors which influence food choices?

Answer 1

• Personal preferences for flavours
• Genetics
• Habit
• Cultural or religious beliefs and traditions
• Social interactions such as events or customs where food is involved
• Food availibility, convenience and the economy
• Personal values related to ethical treatment of animals and the planet

Question 2

What are the four macronutrients?

Answer 2

1. Lipids
2. Proteins
3. Carbohydrates
4. Water

Question 3

What are the two micronutrients?

Answer 3

5. Vitamins
6. Minerals

Question 4

What distinguishes the macronutrients and the micronutrients?

Answer 4

The macronutrients except for water are energy containing

Question 5

What are the two categories of vitamins?

Answer 5

Water soluble and fat soluble vitamins

Question 6

Answer 6

Question 7

Answer 7

Question 8

Answer 8

Question 9

Answer 9

Question 10

What are the organic and inorganic compounds food is made up of?

Answer 10

• Organic compounds: protein, carbohydrate, lipids and vitamins
• Inorganic compounds are mineral and water

Question 11

Body composition

Answer 11

Question 12

Comparing vitamins and minerals

Answer 12

Question 13

Answer 13

Question 14

In energy terms what is the breakdown of the human diet for the macronutrients?

Answer 14

50% carbs

35% fat

15% protein

Question 15

What is the role of protein in the body?

Answer 15

Protein is not really metabolised for energy but it has other functions such as muscle tissue, skin, enzymes, hormones (messengers), antibodies (immune funcitons)

Question 16

What is the conversion between kilo joules and calories?

Answer 16

1 kcal = 4.2 kJ

Question 17

What is metabolism?

Answer 17

The process by which nutrients are broken down to yield energy or are rearranged into body structures (catabolism and anabolism)

Question 18

What are the types of nutritional studies?

Answer 18

• Epidemiological studies include cross-sectional, case-control and cohort designs.
• Laboratory-based studies include animal studies and laboratory-based in vitro studies.
• Human intervention or clinical trials.

Question 19

What are the four systems of dietary reference values?

Answer 19

RDIs

EARs

AI and

UL

Question 20

What is the estimated average requirement? EAR

Answer 20

A daily nutritient level estimated to meet the requirements of half the healthy individuals

Question 21

What is the reccomended dietary intake? RDI

Answer 21

The average daily dietary intake level sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all heatlhy individuals in a particular life stage and gender group

Question 22

What is the adequate intake? AI

Answer 22

Used when RDI cannot be determined. The average daily intake level based on observed or experimentally determined approximates of nutrient intake by a group that are assumed to be adequate

Question 23

What is the upper level of intake?

Answer 23

The highest average daily nutrient intake level likely to pose no adverse health effects to almost all individuals in that general population. As intake increases above the UL the risk of adverse effects increase

Question 24

Setting RDI

Answer 24

Question 25

How does the RDI for energy differ that other nutrients?

Answer 25

The RDI is set the mean so that half the population's requirements fall below and half above them.

Question 26

What is the EER?

Answer 26

Estimated energy requirement The average dietary intake that will maintain energy balance in a person with a healthy body weight and level of activity

Question 27

What is teh AMDR?

Answer 27

Acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges ## Footnote (45 – 65 % energy from carbohydrates, 20 – 35 % E from fats and 15 – 25 % E from proteins)

Question 28

What is the difference between EAR and RDI in terms of who it applies to?

Answer 28

EARs for groups/populations while RDI/AI for individuals

Question 29

Answer 29

Question 30

What are some biometric measures of healthiness?

Answer 30

Body fat determination through fatfold measures, hydrodensitometry, bioelectical impedence. Body shape Waist to hip ratio Body mass index

Question 31

How has the relationship of diet and health changed over the times?

Answer 31

* Early nutritional research was focused on diseases of nutritional deficiency, which were once very common when diets were poor and unbalanced * Recently however most research is on chronic diseases whic come from overnutrition where food is abundant * Food becoming more processed and energy dense leading to excess energy intake and weight gain as fat and chronic diseases such as CVD cancers, diabetes

Question 32

What is the definition of a risk factor?

Answer 32

A condition or behaviour associated with an elevated frequency of a disease but not definitively known to cause the disease status

Question 33

What are the types of risk factors?

Answer 33