Nutrition Chapter 2

Which of the following features is a "red flag" indicating that the source of nutrition information is unreliable?

Use of vague and meaningless scientific terms, making simplistic conclusions, and using disclaimers are all red flags that may indicate a source of nutrition information is unreliable.

A/an _____ study is one in which neither the participants nor the researchers are aware of who is receiving the placebo or the experimental treatment

double-blinded A double-blind study is one in which neither the participants nor the researchers are aware of who is receiving the placebo or the experimental treatment.

The first step in the scientific method is to

make observations that generate questions.

Variable

personal characteristic or other factor that changes and can influence an outcome.

testimonial

personal endorsement of a product

A placebo is a fake treatment, such as providing a pill containing no active substances, to subjects participating in a study.

true

Before scientists begin their research, they develop a hypothesis to guide their study.

true

In general, testimonials for weight loss supplements are based on scientific evidence. A) True

true

When evaluating a dietary supplement, be wary of a product that promises quick and easy remedies for a health-related problem such as obesity.

true

Nutrition is an evolving science, therefore, new dietary advice can be expected regularly.

true: The science of nutrition is constantly evolving. It is not uncommon for new research to challenge existing beliefs and practices. One must stay abreast of new advances in the field and modify their diet accordingly.

A _____ is a factor such as a person's age, weight, or environment that can change and influence results of a study

variable

An author of a magazine article about nutrition who has ____ after his or her name is likely to be a reliable source of information

R.D.

An "in vitro" experiment is one that is conducted on whole living organisms such as rats.

false An "in vitro" experiment is conducted on components derived from living organisms. An "in vivo" experiment is one that is conducted on whole living organisms, such as humans or rats

Which of the following statements is true?

The Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act of 1994 allows manufacturers to classify certain herbal products and nutrient supplements as foods.

The organization responsible for monitoring and enforcing consumer protection laws and for investigating complaints about false or misleading health claims that appear on the Internet is the

The Federal Trade Commission is responsible for monitoring and enforcing consumer protection lawsujh and investigating complaints about false or misleading health claims that appear on the Internet.

double-blind study

experimental design in which neither the participants not the researchers are aware of each participant's group assignment.

placebo

fake treatment, such as a sham pill, injection or medical procedure

A prospective study is one that identifies a group of people who already suffers from a disease and compares their dietary intakes to a group of people with similar characteristics who do not have the disease

False: A prospective study follows a large group of healthy people over time to determine whether those with a certain characteristic develop a disease and those who do not have that characteristic remain disease-free.

An _____ is a personal report or experience, such as how taking megadoses of vitamin C influenced one's health.

anecdote

Control group

group being studied that does not receive a treatment

treatment group

group being studied that receives a treatment

A researcher has 200 participants who have high blood pressure and 200 participants who have similar characteristics but their blood pressure is normal. She collects dietary intake information for all study participants and evaluates the levels of fish consumption to determine if eating fish regularly has any effect on blood pressure. This is an example of a/an _____ study.

case - control

A researcher wants to determine if colon cancer is more prevalent in Japanese males or American males. To make this determination he will conduct a/an _____ study.

epidemiological

A researcher is conducting a study where she has all participants consume 8 ounces of yogurt per day for 3 months. Some of the yogurt has added live bacteria and some does not. The researcher wants to evaluate if the added live bacteria has a benefit in preventing diarrhea. The group of subjects receiving the yogurt with added live bacteria is called the _____ group.

experimental

Peer review

expert critical analysis of a research article before it is published.

In general, nutrition information that appears on Internet web sites has been through a peer-review process

false

In the United States, researchers can conduct a study involving human subjects without telling the participants what risks may be involved.

false

Scientists frequently publish their research results on personal Internet sites such as "blogs.

false

In general, when using the Internet a commercial ".com" site will be a more reliable source of scientifically based health advice than a ".gov" or an ".org" site.

false: Consumers should be wary of commercial ".com" sites, especially those with financial interests such as ads for products, because such sites often provide unreliable nutrition and health information.

Which of the following statements is false?

false: There is no standard legal definition of a "nutritionist." Anyone can call him or herself a nutritionist

hypothesis

possible explanation about an observation that guides scientific research

pseudoscience

presentation of information masquerading as factual and obtained by scientific methods.

quackery

promotion of useless medical treatments

correlation

relationship between two variables

anecdotes

reports of personal experiences

Placebo Effect

response to a placebo

case control study

study in which individuals who have a health condition are compared with individuals with similar characteristics who do not have the condition.

Epidemiology

study of the occurrence, distribution and cause of health problems in populations.

cohort study

study that measures variables of a group of people over time.