Chapter 2 Nutrition & Wellness
The government agency that enforces consumer protection laws by investigating false or misleading health-related claims is the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Which of the following statements is true 2?
In general, registered dietitian nutritionists are reliable sources of nutrition information.
Which of the following sources of information features peer-reviewed articles?
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Which of the following are common signs or symptoms of pellagra?
Mental confusion, scaly skin sores, weakness, diarrhea
Which of the following kinds of studies would be the best to use when designing a scientific investigation to determine whether there is an association between consuming diets low in calcium during adolescence and developing osteoporosis (bone disease) in older adulthood?
Observational study
A group of scientists conducts a scientific study to investigate dietary factors that influence the development of breast cancer. Which of the following activities is NOT likely to be a component of their research efforts?
Posting findings at the main researcher's personal website
Which of the following statements is true?
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution often protects people who spread nutrition misinformation.
Which of the following statements is false?
The Internet is generally a reliable source of nutrition information, because information posted at websites has been peer-reviewed.
A scientist adds 5 mcg of the mineral cadmium to the daily diet of 100 4-week-old laboratory mice. After 12 weeks, the researcher weighs and takes blood samples from each mouse. According to her findings, the mice lost weight during the 12-week period, and they have abnormal levels of certain hormones in their blood. Based on this information and your knowledge of scientific research, what would you tell the researcher about her findings?
The findings are not meaningful or valid because of the way she designed her study
Which of the following observations is an example of a positive correlation?
When a population's vitamin D intake decreases, the percentage of people in the population that have healthy immune systems decreases.
Which of the following observations is an example of an inverse correlation?
Women who smoke 5 or more cigarettes each day during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to underweight babies than women who smoke fewer than 5 cigarettes a day during pregnancy.
Prospective cohort study
a group of initially healthy people is followed over a time period and any diseases that eventually develop are recorded; scientists then try to identify links between exposures and the diseases that occurred in the study period
The professional football star Andro "The Man" McGraw claims the dietary supplement AminoProFix helped him build muscle mass quickly and safely. His endorsement of the product is an example of ________.
a testimonial
Which of the following websites is most likely a source of biased and unreliable nutrition information?
dietsnomore4u.com
An online advertisement for a weight-loss product includes before and after photos of a woman who supposedly lost 50 pounds in 3 weeks while taking the product. The bottom of the ad includes the statement, "Results are not typical." This statement is an example of a(n) ________.
disclaimer
Case-control study
individuals with a health condition (cases) are matched to people with similar characteristics who do not have the condition (controls), and their health and lifestyle information is compared in search of possible factors that may be associated with the disease
The vitamin effective in treating pellagra is
niacin
Testimonials
personal endorsements of a product
Anedote
personal reports concerning the effectiveness of a treatment
A nutrition researcher would like to determine whether women who take fish oil supplements during pregnancy give birth to babies who score higher on basic intelligence tests when they are 5 years of age than the 5-year old children that were born to women who did not take the fish oil supplements during pregnancy. This kind of research is a(n) ________ study.
prospective
Epidemiology
study of the occurrence, distribution, and factors that may contribute to health problems in populations
Which of the following kinds of studies would be the best to use to identify lifestyle factors that may be related to the development of liver cancer in an adult population?
Retrospective study
Zack takes 500 mg of vitamin C daily. He advises his friends to take vitamin C supplements because, he claims, the vitamin protects him from cold viruses. His claim about the usefulness of the vitamin is an ________.
anecdote
The first step in the scientific method is to
make observations that generate questions.
Retrospective cohort study
researchers collect information about a group's past exposures and identify current health outcomes
Pseudoscience
the presentation of misleading or false information as factual and scientific
A nutrition researcher adds 30 mg of the mineral iron to the daily diet of 50 4-week-old laboratory mice. After 10 weeks, the scientist takes blood samples from each mouse. According to his findings, the mice developed abnormal levels of certain enzymes in their red blood cells. Based on this information and your knowledge of scientific research, what would you tell him?
He should consider his findings as an observation and redesign the study to include a control group.
Cohort study
researchers collect and analyze various kinds of information about a large group of people over time, and search for associations between a specific factor and the development of a disease
NHANES
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey- ongoing (repeated) survey to obtain info on health of American PPI