NTR 150
Fall 2004
Final Exam Study Guide
The format of the exam will be multiple guess, true-false, short answer/short essays. Make sure
you have a calculator with you. The best way to figure out what I’ll ask is to look at your old
quizzes, but I’ll be asking more general questions. The study questions that are underlined are
almost guaranteed to be on the exam in some way, shape, or form. There will also be open-ended
Fast Food Nation and Supersize Me questions that will be worth a total of 30 points. (If you’ve
skipped out of watching the DVD, it might be a good idea to rent it and watch it all the way
through.)
“How should I study for this exam, Dr. Fuller?” However you study best. If you study best in
groups, go ahead and set up a session with classmates. If you’re better off on your own, fine.
Since I don’t grade on a curve, the only person whose grade you need to worry about is you. If you
have questions, I’m just an email away.
Introduction
What is the difference between macronutrients and micronutrients?
How many Calories per gram are there in each macronutrient?
How does one calculate % Calories from fat, protein or carbohydrate in a food?
How can you calculate the number of Calories in a food, given the grams protein, fat, and
carbohydrate?
Define diet; malnutrition; primary and secondary nutrient deficiencies.
“Construct” the Food Guide Pyramid, with number of servings for each block.
Discuss the limitations of the current Food Guide Pyramid.
Define the following terms: DV, RDI, DRV, DRI, EAR, AI, UL, RDA.
Digestion & Absorption of Nutrients
Describe digestion and absorption of protein, fat, and carbohydrate, giving enzyme names, where
these enzymes are synthesized, where these enzymes work, and the absorptive site for the
endproducts of digestion.
How does fat transport out of the lumen of the small intestine differ from glucose and amino acid
transport?
Define the following: zymogen; trypsin; peristalsis; mucosa; Helicobacter pylori; bile; villi;
diverticulosis; dysphagia.
Describe the cause and symptoms of lactose intolerance.
Macronutrients
What are the functions of carbohydrate in the body?
What is the storage form of carbohydrate?
Distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
What are sources of carbohydrate in the diet? Which are monosaccharides? Disaccharides?
Polysaccharides?
How do soluble and insoluble fibers contribute to health?
Why can alcohol be considered a food and a drug?
What are the functions of fat and cholesterol in the body?
How do fat and cholesterol travel in the blood?
How many Calories per gram do we get from cholesterol?
Briefly discuss what good, bad, and ugly fats are in the diet and what they do to blood LDL and
HDL levels.
List the functions of proteins in the body.
Under which conditions are you in positive or negative protein balance?
What makes a protein a complete one? Where can one find complete proteins?
Discuss the varieties of vegetarian diets and a few of the reasons people become vegetarians.
Compare the two types of protein-energy malnutrition.
What nutrients can be deficient in a vegan diet?
What foods are most likely to cause food allergies?
Why can avoiding foods to which one is allergic be so hard?
Describe celiac disease, and the foods these people need to avoid.
Metabolism
Define catabolism and anabolism, the hormones involved in each, and the anabolic and catabolic
pathways for each macronutrient.
List the steps required to derive the maximum energy from a molecule of glucose.
Why does “fat burn in a flame of carbohydrate?” What happens when there is insufficient
carbohydrate for the fat to “burn” in?
What is glycogen, and where do you find it in the body?
Why is fat a more potent source of Calories, gram-for-gram, than carbohydrate?
Where do beta-oxidation, the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain occur in the cell?
Describe what macronutrients the body is using for energy (and which hormones are at work)
under the following conditions:
 While you’re sleeping
 At rest
 After a huge feast
 After 2-3 days of fasting
 After about 6 weeks of fasting
Energy Balance
Explain the concept of energy balance, and the components of energy in and energy out.
Why are very low Calorie diets a bad way to keep weight off?
Know how to calculate and interpret the following for both men and women:
 Ideal body weight
 Calorie requirements
 Body mass index
What methods can be used to assess body composition?
Why are “apples” at higher risk for chronic disease than “pears”?
Calculate the number of Calories a person needs in a day, given his/her activity level.
Calculate the number of Calories a person would need to take in to reduce his/her weight by 0.5, 1,
or 2 pounds per week.
Describe the three types of eating disorders in terms of weight, symptoms, and long-term chances
for recovery.
Vitamins
Describe the general differences between water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins.
For all vitamins, list the following:
 Main functions
 Any precursors from which these vitamins can be made by the body
 Deficiency diseases, if any, and which populations are more likely to develop deficiency
 Toxicity potential, if any
 Possible pharmacologic uses, if any
 Interrelationships between other vitamins and/or minerals
 Which vitamins have DRI’s based on energy expenditure?
 The effect enrichment or fortification of flour has had on the incidence of deficiency
 Dietary sources
Which phytochemicals can be converted to vitamin A by the body? How efficient is this
conversion?
Why does vitamin C deficiency cause bleeding gums and bruising? What makes it different from
vitamin K deficiency’s bruising?
Which water-soluble vitamins can be considered toxic?
What is DSHEA, and what does it cover?
Define a dietary supplement.
Why should your doctor care about the supplements you take?
Discuss why studies of vitamin supplementation have not succeeded in reducing the incidence of
cancer.
Water & Electrolytes
List the functions of water in the body.
Describe water balance and which hormones and organs are involved.
Briefly describe control of blood pressure and the nutrients that may have an effect on blood
pressure.
Describe the DASH diet in general terms.
Minerals
For each mineral, list the following:
 Main functions
 Deficiency diseases, if any, and which populations are more likely to develop deficiency
 Toxicity potential, if any
 Interrelationships between other vitamins and/or minerals
 Dietary sources
Discuss the relationship between vitamin D and calcium, and the mechanisms involved to keep
blood calcium within a narrow range.
Nutrition & Physical Fitness
What are the components of physical fitness?
Which macronutrient is the limiting one in exercise? How is this nutrient stored in the body?
What is the female athlete triad?
What is an ergogenic aid? Which ones may be hazardous to health?
Food Safety & Technology (chapter 17)
What are some of the risks and benefits of advances in food technology?
Define a food additive. Which federal agency regulates them?
Describe the components of the FightBac! System.
What is the temperature danger zone in which bacteria can grow and multiply?
Which population groups are more at risk from food poisoning? Why?
Nutrition through the Life Cycle
Define the concept of critical period in embryonic/fetal development.
List three reasons why breast milk is the optimal way to feed babies.
When should transitional foods be started and why?
Define the following terms: LBW, VLBW, ELBW, colostrum.
What is the typical weight and length gain between birth and one year of age?
Interpret information given on a growth chart.
Distinguish between stunting and wasting.
List nutrients of concern at the following stages: infancy, child to age 3, adolescence, elderly.
Defend or denounce the need for universal cholesterol screening in children.
What are factors contributing to the epidemic of childhood obesity? How can parents best handle
this issue?
What nutrition-related changes (physiologic and psychosocial) can occur with aging?
Give three examples of how drugs can negatively interact with nutrients.
Diet and Health
Discuss how nutritional status can affect the following chronic diseases:
 Diabetes
 Cardiovascular disease
 Cancer
 HIV/AIDS
Which nutrients can affect immune function?
Food Insecurity
Define food insecurity, hunger, and food insufficiency.
What issues contribute to food insecurity and hunger in the US? On a worldwide scale?
Name programs that aim to reduce food insecurity in the US. (Note: Some of these were
discussed in the lifecycle section.) Which federal department administers them? Who is eligible
for each?
What factors contribute to hunger in developing countries?
What are some possible solutions to solving the problem of hunger worldwide?
Nutrition through the Life Cycle (chapters 14-16)
What are the nutrients of concern for pregnant women, infants, children, teens, and elderly?
Give three reasons why breast milk is the preferred food for newborns.
Define the following terms: LBW, VLBW, ELBW, colostrum.
When can transitional foods be added to an infant’s diet?
What is the typical weight and length gain between birth and one year of age?
Interpret information given on a growth chart.
Distinguish between stunting and wasting.
What issues contribute to nutritional problems in teenagers and the elderly?
Name a few age-related changes that impact nutritional status.
Name two federal nutrition programs that target the elderly.
Food Insecurity (chapter 18)
Define food insecurity, hunger, and food insufficiency.
What issues contribute to food insecurity and hunger in the US? Worldwide?
Name government programs that aim to reduce food insecurity in the US. Which federal
department administers them? Who is eligible to receive benefits?