Nutrition Exam Study Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary style flashcards covering fundamental nutrition concepts, assessment methods, pre-pregnancy conditions, and maternal/fetal nutrition requirements.

Macronutrients

Nutrients required by the body in large amounts that supply energy, specifically carbohydrates ($4\,\text{kcal/g}$), proteins ($4\,\text{kcal/g}$), and lipids ($9\,\text{kcal/g}$).

Micronutrients

Essential nutrients required in small amounts ($\text{mg/mcg}$) that provide no calories themselves but regulate body processes, comprising vitamins and minerals.

Organic Nutrients

Nutrients that contain carbon in their chemical structure, including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and vitamins.

Inorganic Nutrients

Nutrients that do not contain carbon, specifically minerals and water.

Essential Nutrients

Nutrients that the body cannot synthesize at all or in sufficient amounts, requiring them to be obtained through the diet.

Non-essential Nutrients

Nutrients that the body can synthesize endogenously in adequate amounts, such as cholesterol produced by the liver.

Cholesterol

A non-essential organic lipid synthesized mainly by the liver that serves as a precursor to steroid hormones (estrogen, testosterone, cortisol) and vitamin D, aids bile acid production, and forms cell membrane structures.

Phytochemicals

Non-nutrient, bioactive plant compounds that provide health benefits but are not essential for survival, such as phytoestrogens, phytosterols, and flavonoids.

Phytoestrogens

Isoflavones such as genistein and daidzein found in soy that act as non-nutrient, bioactive plant compounds.

Phytosterols and Phytostanols

Non-nutrient bioactive plant compounds found in vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds that can reduce cholesterol absorption.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Vitamins (A, D, E, K) found in fatty portions of foods, absorbed with dietary fat, and stored in body fat and the liver, capable of accumulating to toxic levels with excessive intake.

Water-Soluble Vitamins

Vitamins (B-complex and C) found in watery portions of foods that are generally not stored and are excreted in urine, with the exception of vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 Storage

An exception among water-soluble vitamins that is stored in the liver, with body stores lasting roughly 3 to 5 years before depleting.

Monosaccharides

Single sugar unit carbohydrates comprising glucose, fructose, and galactose.

Disaccharides

Two-sugar unit carbohydrates comprising sucrose, lactose, and maltose.

Oligosaccharides

Carbohydrates containing 3 to 10 sugar units, such as raffinose and stachyose found in legumes, and fructooligosaccharides.

Polysaccharides

Complex carbohydrates consisting of long chains of sugar units, including starch, glycogen, and dietary fiber (cellulose).

Complete Protein

High-quality protein containing all 9 essential amino acids in sufficient amounts, typically sourced from animal foods or select plant sources like soy and quinoa.

Incomplete Protein

Protein that lacks adequate amounts of one or more essential amino acids, characteristic of most plant foods except soy and quinoa.

Complementary Proteins

Two or more incomplete plant proteins combined together in the diet to supply all 9 essential amino acids (e.g., rice and beans).

Omega-6 Fatty Acid Family

Polyunsaturated fatty acids derived from parent linoleic acid (converting to arachidonic acid) that are well stored in body fat and found in meats and seed oils.

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Family

Polyunsaturated fatty acids derived from parent alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, converting to EPA and DHA) that are not well stored in body fat and are found in fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseed, and dark green vegetables.

Enrichment

The process of replacing specific nutrients lost during grain processing back to at least their original levels, required by law for refined grains (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, iron).

Fortification

The practice of adding nutrients to foods that were not originally present or boosting levels beyond natural amounts for public health benefits (e.g., vitamin D in milk, iodized salt).

Dietary Reference Intake (DRI)

The umbrella term for a set of nutrient reference values used to plan and assess nutrient intakes of healthy people (includes RDA, AI, EAR, and UL).

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

The average daily nutrient intake level sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (~97–98%) healthy individuals in a group.

Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)

The daily nutrient intake level estimated to meet the requirement of half (50%) of the healthy individuals in a specific group, used for population-level assessment.

Adequate Intake (AI)

A nutrient intake recommendation established when evidence is insufficient to set an RDA, based on observed intakes in healthy populations.

Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)

The highest level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects for almost all individuals in the general population.

Low FODMAP Diet

A short-term (2–6 weeks) elimination diet supervised by an RDN that restricts Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, And Polyols to manage symptoms of IBS.

Healthy Eating Index (HEI)

A scoring tool ranging from 0 to 100 used to measure how closely individual or population diets align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Anthropometric Assessment

The component of nutritional assessment measuring physical body dimensions and composition, such as height, weight (for BMI), waist/hip ratio, head circumference, and fat mass.

Biochemical Assessment

The component of nutritional assessment using laboratory tests on body fluids or tissues to measure functional status or nutrient levels (e.g., HbA1c, serum 25(OH)D, hemoglobin).

Clinical/Physical Assessment

The visual inspection component of nutritional assessment performed by a trained professional to check physical signs and symptoms of deficiency or excess (e.g., hair brittleness, skin paleness).

USDA Automated Multi-Pass Method

A 5-step validated dietary recall process consisting of: (1) Quick List, (2) Forgotten Food List, (3) Time and Occasion List, (4) Detailed Cycle, and (5) Final Probe Review.

Dietary History

A comprehensive dietary assessment method combining a modified 24-hour recall with a Food Frequency Questionnaire cross-check, considered the most accurate method.

Nutrition Care Process (NCP)

A 4-step framework for delivering effective nutrition care consisting of Nutrition Assessment, Nutrition Diagnosis, Nutrition Intervention, and Nutrition Monitoring & Evaluation.

Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)

A state-implemented public program offering peer education on budgeting, food preparation, and nutrition for limited-resource audiences.

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH)

A hormone produced by the hypothalamus that stimulates the anterior pituitary gland to release FSH and LH.

Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH)

A hormone released by the anterior pituitary that stimulates egg/follicle maturation in females and sperm production in males.

Luteinizing Hormone (LH)

A pituitary hormone that triggers ovulation, corpus luteum formation, and the release of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Leptin

A hormone produced by fat tissue that signals energy stores to the hypothalamus, low levels of which can suppress GnRH/FSH/LH and decrease fertility.

Extremely Low Birth Weight (ELBW)

An infant birth weight classification defined as less than $1000\,\text{g}$ ($<2.2\,\text{lbs}$).

Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW)

An infant birth weight classification defined as less than $1500\,\text{g}$ ($<3\,\text{lb}\,4\,\text{oz}$).

Low Birth Weight (LBW)

An infant birth weight classification defined as less than $2500\,\text{g}$ ($<5\,\text{lb}\,8\,\text{oz}$).

Small for Gestational Age (SGA)

An infant birth weight falling below the 10th percentile for gestational age.

Proportionately SGA (pSGA)

Symmetric growth restriction where an infant's weight and length are both below expected percentiles for gestational age.

Disproportionately SGA (dSGA)

Asymmetric growth restriction where an infant's birth weight is low but length and head circumference are relatively normal.

Large for Gestational Age (LGA)

An infant birth weight above the 90th percentile for gestational age or exceeding $4000\,\text{g}$ ($>8\,\text{lb}\,13\,\text{oz}$).

Neural Tube Defects (NTDs)

Malformations resulting from failure of the neural tube to close by 3 to 4 weeks after conception, preventable with adequate preconception folic acid.

Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)

The concept that fetal adaptations to low glucose/nutrient supply ('thrifty phenotype') alter physiology, predisposing individuals to chronic metabolic disease in adulthood.

Chronic Hypertension in Pregnancy

Blood pressure $\ge 140/90\,\text{mmHg}$ present before pregnancy or before 20 weeks of gestation, persisting beyond 12 weeks postpartum.

Gestational Hypertension

Blood pressure $\ge 140/90\,\text{mmHg}$ appearing after 20 weeks of gestation without proteinuria, resolving within 12 weeks postpartum.

Preeclampsia

A pregnancy-specific disorder characterized by blood pressure $\ge 140/90\,\text{mmHg}$ occurring after 20 weeks gestation accompanied by proteinuria or organ dysfunction.

Eclampsia

A severe, life-threatening progression of preeclampsia characterized by the onset of generalized seizures or convulsions.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)

Carbohydrate intolerance first recognized during pregnancy, resulting from placental hormone-induced insulin resistance and inadequate maternal insulin secretion.

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)

A lab test measuring the percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin in the blood, reflecting average blood glucose control over the preceding 2 to 3 months.