Nutrition and Health Part 1

These flashcards cover the lecture’s core points on nutrient functions, historical discoveries, malnutrition forms, assessment methods, BMI & obesity, fat types, and lifestyle recommendations, preparing you for exam review and discussion.

What is the primary link that nutrition seeks to explain?

The relationship between the foods we eat and the nutrients that nourish, maintain, and protect human health.

In Australian dietary guidelines, how many core food groups are identified?

Five core food groups.

Name Australia’s five core food groups.

1) Vegetables & legumes/beans, 2) Fruit, 3) Grains (cereal foods), 4) Lean meats & alternatives, 5) Milk, yoghurt, cheese & alternatives.

Complete the statement: We eat , not .

We eat food, not nutrients.

What are the SIX classes of essential nutrients?

Carbohydrates, Proteins, Lipids (fats), Vitamins, Minerals, and Water.

Give the three main biological functions nutrients serve in the body.

1) Energy provision, 2) Growth & development, 3) Regulation/maintenance of body processes.

Which nutrient class is the body’s first and preferred energy source?

Carbohydrates.

Which two nutrient classes are the major structural materials during growth and for cell membranes?

Proteins (for new tissue) and Lipids (for cell membranes).

Which micronutrients commonly act as catalysts in metabolic pathways?

Many water-soluble vitamins and minerals such as B-vitamins, iron, zinc and magnesium.

Define malnutrition’s ‘double burden’.

The coexistence of under-nutrition (stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiencies) and over-nutrition (overweight/obesity) within the same population.

What are the three most prevalent micronutrient deficiencies worldwide?

Iron, Iodine, and Vitamin A deficiencies.

Night-blindness is a classic sign of which vitamin deficiency?

Vitamin A deficiency.

Scurvy (bleeding gums) results from lack of which vitamin?

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

Rickets in children is primarily due to deficiency of which vitamin?

Vitamin D.

Beriberi is caused by deficiency of which vitamin?

Thiamine (Vitamin B₁).

Iron-deficiency anaemia was historically called what?

Chlorosis.

Who proved citrus fruit cured scurvy in sailors?

James Lind (18th century Scottish naval surgeon).

Which study first linked polished (white) rice to beriberi in Japanese sailors?

Takaki Kanehiro’s 19th-century observations that adding milk, meat and barley reversed symptoms.

State Archimedes’ principle’s application in body-composition assessment.

Hydrostatic (underwater) weighing estimates body volume via water displacement to calculate body density and body-fat percentage.

Give the BMI formula.

BMI = Weight (kg) ÷ [Height (m)]².

List the adult BMI cut-offs for normal, overweight and obesity.

Normal: 18–25; Overweight (pre-obese): 25–30; Obesity: >30 kg/m² (further split into class I, II, III).

Why is BMI considered only a ‘rough guide’?

It does not differentiate fat mass from lean mass or indicate fat distribution.

Name four common methods for collecting dietary intake data.

1) Weighed food record, 2) 24-hour dietary recall, 3) Food-frequency questionnaire, 4) Food diary/log.

Which dietary method is considered the ‘gold standard’ but is labour-intensive?

Weighed food record (weigh-ment survey).

What major limitation affects 24-hour recalls and food-frequency questionnaires?

Reliance on memory and possible mis-reporting or social desirability bias.

Identify three anthropometric techniques for estimating body fat.

Skin-fold thickness (calipers), Bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA), and Hydrostatic weighing (or alternatives like DXA scans).

Explain how bio-electrical impedance estimates body composition.

A safe electrical current passes through the body; resistance is higher in fat tissue than in lean, allowing calculation of body-fat percentage.

What imaging methods can visualise visceral versus subcutaneous fat?

CT scans and Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA).

Define visceral fat.

Fat stored around internal organs within the abdominal cavity.

List four chronic diseases strongly linked to obesity.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Coronary/heart disease, Stroke, and Certain Cancers (e.g., colorectal).

Name two common respiratory or sleep complications of obesity.

Obstructive sleep apnoea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

What are the three broad treatment categories for obesity?

Behavioural/lifestyle interventions (diet & physical activity), Pharmacotherapy, and Bariatric surgery.

Differentiate saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat advice.

Limit saturated and trans fats; replace them with monounsaturated (olive/canola oils) and polyunsaturated (most vegetable oils) fats, aiming for a 2:1 ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fat or 1:1:1 when including monounsaturated fat.

Define ‘discretionary foods’.

Energy-dense foods high in added sugars, saturated or trans fat, salt or alcohol, not essential for nutrient adequacy (e.g., biscuits, fries, soft drinks).

State WHO’s general adult recommendation for daily physical activity.

At least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per day (≈11,000 kJ energy expenditure weekly).

What is the common daily step goal associated with adequate activity?

≈10,000 steps per day.

Summarise screen-time advice for children (per Australian guidelines).

Limit recreational electronic media use to <2 hours per day.

What database converts Australian foods into nutrient values?

The Australian Food Composition Database (via platforms such as FoodWorks).

Why is dietary diversity across food groups emphasised?

To secure a broad spectrum of nutrients because different food groups provide different concentrated nutrient sets.

Give two examples of how historical observations linked food to disease.

1) Iron filings in wine relieving chlorosis (17th century), 2) Citrus fruits preventing scurvy in sailors (18th century).

When was obesity formally recognised as a disease by the World Obesity Federation?

2017.

What is meant by ‘years free from chronic disease decline with obesity’?

Obesity shortens the span of life lived without conditions like diabetes or heart disease, even if total lifespan may not decrease accordingly.

List two broad consequences of under-nutrition in children.

Stunting (low height-for-age) and Wasting (low weight-for-height).

State one psychosocial impact frequently linked to childhood obesity.

Social stigma, lowered self-esteem, or psychological distress.