Module 1 Nutrition Questions

Describe the meaning of the percent daily value (%DV).

%DV is based on the Daily Values for a 2,000 kcal diet If food says contains 30 g of carbohydrate and DV for carbohydrate for a 2,000 kcal diet is 300 g, then label will say food contributes 10% of DV

Describe the design of a case-control study

A type of observational study in which they match people with a disease to people without a disease and attempt to uncover differences between the two groups

What are the Daily Values? Where would we find the Daily Values on the food label? How do the DV's differ from the DRI's?

Dail Value is given for a 2000 kcal diet usually DV's are very non-specific and assume that all people over the age of 5 have the same nutritional requirement. The DRI includes gender and age categories and is much more specific

How does a standard food differ from a functional food? Do you think such a distinction should be made?

Functional Food: one which may provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition, usually due to the addition or non-nutrients known or purported to have health-enhancing effects

How do the Harvard and Mediterranean food guides differ from the USDA food guide? Be able to compare and contrast these three food guides.

Harvard guide puts more emphasis on whole grains and the dairy group is not emphasized. -Also has more vegetables and less fruit than USDA food guide. -Includes healthy oils Mediterranean guide has red meat as a very tiny portion -More grains than Harvard -Equal parts veggies and fruit

What are the three leading causes of death in the United States? Which of these are related to diet?

Heart disease, cancers, and stroke. Heart disease can be related to diet as those who eat diets high in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol are more likely to have high blood cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease

What is the difference between an intervention study and an observational study in terms of design?

Intervention Study: ask the subjects to do/change something (EX: eat a certain diet, take a pill, do an activity, etc.) Observational Study: do not intervene, simply gather information about the subjects through surveys, blood work, visual observation, medical chart review, etc.

How are supplements regulated?

Regulated by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994. -very little regulation, required to do virtually nothing to ensure product is effective and safe -no requirement for safety or efficacy testing

What is the difference between a research question, a hypothesis, and a scientific theory?

Research Question: indicates what you are asking in your study Hypothesis: "best guess" about what you expect to discover in your research Scientific Theory: formed when many studies support the hypothesis

What doe we mean when we say that something (ex: smoking) is a risk factor for hypertension, certain cancers, and cardiovascular disease?

Risk Factor: condition or behavior associated with an elevated frequency of a disease -does not mean that the factor will cause the disease in every person, but suggests that persons with that risk factor are more likely to suffer from the disease

What subunits (smaller chemical groups) make up fat (triglyceride)? Carbohydrates? Proteins?

Triglyceride - fatty acids Carbohydrates - sugars Proteins - amino acids

What does USP on a supplement label signify?

U.S. Pharmacopeia has verified that the supplement contains the ingredients in the amounts listed on the label, will disintegrate or dissolve effectively to release nutrients for absorption, meet requirements for limits on contaminants, and comply with good manufacturing practices

What is the unit of measure for each class of nutrients? Which nutrients are considered macronutrients? Micronutrients?

Unit of Measure - Macronutrients: kilograms or grams Micronutrients: milligrams or micrograms Macronutrients - carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, water Micronutrients - vitamins and minerals

What principles do you need to follow to be sure that your intervention study has the strongest design possible?

Randomized Clinical Trial -eliminate as many variables as possible

Identify some ways to determine if a nutrition related website is likely to be reliable

1. Does it make sense? 2. What is the source? -Is it selling something? -It is someone's opinion or personal story? -Who can you believe? 3. Is it based on good science? 4. Has it stood the test of time?

What are some questions you should ask yourself when presented with a health/diet related headline?

1. Does it make sense? 2. What is the source? -Is it selling something? -It is someone's opinion or personal story? -Who can you believe? 3. Is it based on good science? 4. Has it stood the test of time?

Identify the steps in the scientific process. Give an example of each step

1. Observation/question EX: scientists notice Eskimos have decreased incidence of heart disease despite high fat diet so continue to observe 2. Formulate hypothesis (research question or "best guess") EX: Does fish oil reduce risk of heart disease? Or - Fish oils in diet reduce the risk of heart disease 3. Experimentation (test hypothesis or question) EX: Study group with fish oil and control group without and compare 4. Results & interpretation

What are the basic functions of nutrients?

1. Structural - building physical components of cells 2. Regulatory - maintaining proper balance of hormones, temperature, chemical reactions, etc. 3. Energy Provision - providing fuel for cells to perform work

What are the acceptable macronutrient distribution range (AMDR) for carbohydrates, protein and fat? Who sets these recommendations? Why are the carbohydrate and fat guidelines given as a percent of calories rather than a gram amount? (not that there is both an AMDR and an RDA for protein)

Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR): percentages give as a proportion of total kcal consumption Carbohydrates: 45-65% of total kcal Fat: 20-35% of total kcal Protein: 10-35% of total kcals

How do intervention studies differ from non-intervention studies in terms of what you can conclude from the findings?

An observational study can tell you that two factors are related in some way but an intervention study is needed to isolate as many variables as possible and test to find causation. The intervention study is what proves that one thing directly impacts another

Describe the basic diet planning principles of balance, moderation, variety, and nutrient density

Balance - involves mixing and matching foods in proportions that allow you to get enough of the nutrients you need and not too much of ones that may harm your health Moderation - watch portion sizes; everything is ok as long as you don't overdo it Variety - eating foods from different food groups helps ensure an adequate nutrient intake Nutrient Density - a measure of the nutrients a food provides compared to its energy content. Nutrient dense foods contain more nutrients per calorie than those with a lower nutrient density. Choosing nutrient dense foods leaves calories leftover for occasional treats

Identify the 6 classes of nutrients. How many kcalories are associated with each class of nutrients? Which nutrients are organic?

Carbohydrates (4 kcal/gram), Fats (9 kcal/gram), Proteins (4 kcal/gram), Water, Vitamins, Minerals. Organic - carbohydrates, fats, proteins

What are the two major-food related guidance documents issued by the government?

Dietary Guidelines for Americans - issues by the USDA and HHS The food guide - issued by the USDA

Describe the Dietary Reference Intakes. Who sets these recommendations? What are the specific guidelines under the DRI umbrella (ex: EAR, RDA, etc.)? Describe the meaning or interpretation of each of these guidelines.

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) published by a division of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Estimated Average Requirement (EAR): population-wide average nutrient requirement for nutrition research and policymaking Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs): intake goal for individuals based on the EAR but increased to cover the needs of ~98% of the population Adequate Intakes (AI): nutrient intake goal set when scientific data is insufficient to allow establishment of an EAR and RDA Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL): upper limit of safe intake

What does EER tell us? Who sets this recommendation? How accurate is this number?

Estimated Energy Requirements (EER) -very nonspecific because different age groups will have different EERs -also affected by height, weight, age, physical activity level, health conditions

In an intervention study, what is the difference between the experimental or test group and the control group?

Experimental/Test Group: the group that has something changed Control Group: the group that does not change anything and stays the same

How is the order of the ingredients listed on the label determined?

Listed by order of weight; whichever contributes the most weight is listed first and whichever contributes the least weight is listed last

What is the difference between a nutrient claim and a health claim?

Nutrient Content Claim: FDA has specific criteria that must be met in order for a label to claim "high", "low", "good source" etc. Health Claim: based on the ingredients in the food regulated by the FDA; most address the most common chronic diseases

Be able to compare foods in terms of nutrient density

Nutrient Density: refers to the density of a given nutrient per kcal in a food

How do the definitions of "nutrient" and "essential nutrient" differ? In other words, what is true about both nutrients and essential nutrients and what is true about an essential nutrient that is not true of all nutrients?

Nutrient: substance found in foods that is required for maintenance of health and proper body function Essential Nutrient: body cannot make the nutrient in adequate amounts so we must get it from food -Both needed for proper body function but essential nutrients are not made in the body. Most nutrients are essential nutrients

What is meant by optimal nutrition? Undernutrition? Overnutrition? Malnutrition?

Optimal Nutrition: getting just the right amount of nutrients Undernutrition: deficient in one or more nutrients Overnutrition: consuming too much of one or more nutrients or kcalories Malnutrition: either undernutrition or overnutrition

How does a nutrient differ from a phytochemical or zoochemical?

Phytochemical: chemicals made by plants -most non-nutrients are phytochemicals

Compare and contrast the three types of health claims on food labels. How does an SSA claim or authoritative health claim differ from a qualified health claim?

SSA Health Claims: authorized after extensive review of the literature is conducted and it is determined that there is significant scientific agreement to support the claim Authoritative Statement Claims: authorized based on scientific evidence as interpreted and put forth by an appropriate scientific group within the US Government or the NAS Qualified Health Claims: put forth when there is limited and inconclusive evidence to support the claim

Water - size, organic/inorganic, measure, energy

Size: macronutrient Organic/Inorganic: inorganic Measure: mL or L Energy: none

Carbohydrate - size, organic/inorganic, measure, energy

Size: macronutrient Organic/Inorganic: organic Measure: kg or g Energy: 4kcal/g

Protein - size, organic/inorganic, measure, energy

Size: macronutrient Organic/Inorganic: organic Measure: kg or g Energy: 4kcal/g

Triglyceride - size, organic/inorganic, measure, energy

Size: macronutrient Organic/Inorganic: organic Measure: kg or g Energy: 9kcal/g

Minerals - size, organic/inorganic, measure, energy

Size: micronutrient Organic/Inorganic: inorganic Measure: mg or ug (microgram) Energy: none

Vitamins - size, organic/inorganic, measure, energy

Size: micronutrient Organic/Inorganic: organic Measure: mg or ug (microgram) Energy: none

What is the difference between a health claim and a structure/function claim? Which of these types of claims requires prior approval from the FDA?

Structure/function claim: often seen on dietary supplements -can state a product affects the structure or function of the body, but cannot indicate that the food substance or supplement will prevent, treat, cure, mitigate, or diagnose a disease -does not need approval by FDA Health Claim: must be approved by the FDA and must include disclaimers

What is the definition of a supplement?

Supplement: a product taken by mouth that contains a "dietary ingredient" intended to supplement the diet -may include vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandular, and metabolites

What is the agency that regulates food labels for most processed foods?

The FDA

Are there any rules for companies that want to post health claims? If so, give some examples.

The FDA controls what health claims may be made -may not claim to cure any disease by virtue of consuming the food -must give a disclaimer

Why should subjects in a study be randomly placed into groups rather than letting them pick their own groups? In other words, what is the value of randomly assigning subjects and why might the findings of the study not be valid if you let subjects pick their groups?

The subjects should be randomly assigned so that their knowledge of which treatment they are getting does not affect the outcome of the experiment

What are the basic atoms or elements in carbohydrate, protein, fat (triglyceride), vitamins?

They are organic molecules meaning they contain carbon bonded to hydrogen