Nutrition Chapter 2

Which of the following statements is false?

All of these choices are correct. (All nutritionists are registered dietitians.; The R.D. credential is legally protected.; Because of their college educational backgrounds, registered dietitians are generally reliable sources of nutrition information.)

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

All of these choices are correct. [ (A)Use of vague, meaningless scientific terms. B) Simplistic conclusions. C) Use of disclaimers such as "Results may vary." ]

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

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

False

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

False

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

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

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

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

Federal Trade Commission.

Which of the following journals is not a peer-reviewed nutrition or medical journal?

Ladies Home Journal

_____ is the presentation of health information that appears to be factual and obtained by scientific methods, when it is actually not based on facts or scientific evidence.

Pseudoscience

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

anecdote

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/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-blind

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

The first step in the scientific method is to

make observations that generate questions.

Anecdotes

reports of personal experience

case-control study

study in which individuals who have a health condition are compared with individuals

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

variable