NUTR 165: Exam 1 Study Guide (Chapters 1–3)

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, nutrient classifications, reference values, and digestive physiology from Chapters 1 through 3 of NUTR 165.

Nutrition

The study of food, including how food nourishes the body and influences health, covering consumption, digestion, absorption, storage, eating factors, food safety, and the global food supply.

Wellness

A multidimensional, active process involving physical, emotional, social, occupational, and spiritual health.

Carbohydrates

A macronutrient that serves as the body's primary fuel source (especially critical for the brain) and yields $4\,\text{kcal/g}$.

Fats and Oils

A macronutrient yielding $9\,\text{kcal/g}$ that stores energy and functions as an important fuel source at rest and during low-intensity physical activity.

Protein

A macronutrient composed of chains of amino acids that yields $4\,\text{kcal/g}$ and functions primarily to build and repair body tissues.

Vitamins

Organic micronutrient compounds that regulate various body processes and provide no energy ($0\,\text{kcal}$).

Minerals

Inorganic micronutrient substances necessary for physiological processes that supply no energy ($0\,\text{kcal}$).

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Vitamins A, D, E, and K, which dissolve in fat, are stored within the body, and have the potential to cause toxicity when accumulated in excess.

Water-Soluble Vitamins

Vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins, which dissolve in water, are not stored to a significant extent, and are generally excreted in urine when consumed in excess.

Major Minerals

Essential minerals required by the body in amounts greater than $100\,\text{mg/day}$, such as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, and sulfur.

Trace Minerals

Essential minerals required by the body in amounts less than $100\,\text{mg/day}$, such as iron, zinc, copper, manganese, fluoride, chromium, molybdenum, selenium, and iodine.

Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)

The average daily nutrient intake level estimated to meet the requirement of approximately $50\%$ of healthy individuals in a specific life-stage and sex category; used to establish the RDA.

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

The average daily nutrient intake level sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all ($97\text{--}98\%$) healthy people in a specific life-stage and sex group.

Adequate Intake (AI)

A recommended average daily nutrient intake value based on observed or experimentally determined approximations; utilized when evidence is insufficient to set an RDA.

Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)

The highest average daily nutrient intake level that is unlikely to pose a risk of adverse health effects to almost all individuals in the general population.

Estimated Energy Requirement (EER)

The average daily dietary energy intake predicted to maintain energy balance in a healthy adult, determined by age, sex, weight, height, and level of physical activity.

Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR)

The defined range of energy intake from carbohydrate, fat, and protein associated with reduced chronic-disease risk while ensuring adequate intake of essential nutrients.

Nutrigenomics

The scientific discipline studying the interactions among genes, environment, and nutrition.

Human Genome

The complete collection of genes comprising the DNA housed within the nucleus of a human cell.

Human Microbiome

The complete collection of genes belonging to the microorganisms residing in and on the human body.

Functional Foods

Foods that contain biologically active components capable of providing health benefits beyond basic nutritional needs.

Probiotics

Foods or dietary supplements containing viable, live microorganisms that enhance the intestinal microbial balance.

Prebiotics

Nondigestible food ingredients that stimulate the growth and activity of beneficial probiotic bacteria in the digestive tract.

Adequacy

A hallmark of a healthful diet indicating that it provides enough energy and essential nutrients to meet physiological needs.

Moderation

A hallmark of a healthful diet referring to consuming foods in appropriate amounts and frequencies—neither too much nor too little.

Balance

A hallmark of a healthful diet characterized by combinations of foods that supply nutrients and food groups in correct proportions.

Variety

A hallmark of a healthful diet that involves eating a wide array of different foods across and within the major food groups.

Nutrient Density

The relative proportion of essential nutrients supplied by a food compared to its total caloric energy content.

Calorie Density

The relative amount of energy (in kilocalories) provided by a food compared to its weight or volume.

5/20 Rule

A guideline for reading food labels where a Daily Value of $\le 5\%$ signifies a low source of a nutrient, and $\ge 20\%$ signifies a high source.

Authorized Health Claim

A food label claim connecting a food or nutrient to a disease condition that is supported by significant scientific agreement (SSA).

Qualified Health Claim

A food label claim supported by emerging scientific evidence that has not yet reached significant scientific agreement, necessitating an explicit disclaimer.

Structure-Function Claim

A label claim describing how an ingredient influences normal physiological structure or body function (e.g., 'Calcium builds strong bones') without claiming to treat or prevent a disease.

Nutrient Claim

A label claim describing the quantity or concentration of a specific nutrient in a food using descriptors such as 'free,' 'low,' 'high,' or comparative terms like 'reduced.'

Digestion

The physiological breakdown of ingested food and nutrients through mechanical movement and chemical action into smaller units.

Absorption

The physiological movement and uptake of digested nutrients through the gastrointestinal mucosa into the blood or lymphatic circulation.

Elimination

The physiological evacuation and removal of undigested food residues and metabolic wastes from the digestive tract.

Peristalsis

Sequential, squeezing muscular contractions and relaxations that propel swallowed material along the gastrointestinal tract.

Bolus

A lubricated, chewed mass of food that has been mixed with saliva and swallowed.

Chyme

The acidic, semifluid mass of partially digested food mixed with gastric secretions that is emptied from the stomach into the small intestine.

Emulsification

The physical breakdown of large dietary fat globules into smaller dispersed droplets via the action of bile, enhancing access for lipase enzymes.

Salivary Amylase

A digestive enzyme produced by the salivary glands that initiates the chemical breakdown of starches in the oral cavity.

Pepsin

A gastric digestive enzyme active in an acidic environment ($\text{pH} \approx 2$) that initiates the chemical digestion of proteins into smaller peptides.

Intrinsic Factor

A specialized glycoprotein secreted by stomach cells that is required for the intestinal absorption of vitamin $B_{12}$.

Pyloric Sphincter

The muscular circular valve regulating the passage of chyme from the stomach into the duodenum of the small intestine.

Active Transport

A nutrient transport mechanism that moves molecules against a concentration gradient (from low to high concentration) utilizing cellular energy in the form of $\text{ATP}$.

Ghrelin

A gastric hormone secreted by an empty stomach that acts on the hypothalamus to stimulate hunger.

Cholecystokinin (CCK)

A gastrointestinal hormone released when chyme reaches the small intestine that signals satiety and stimulates bile and pancreatic enzyme release.