Sports

🩸 Exercise & Sports Nutrition: Blood Levels MCQ Exam

1. Which blood marker is the primary indicator of acute muscle damage after intense exercise?

A) Ferritin
B) Creatine kinase (CK)
C) ALT
D) AST

2. Elevated blood lactate during exercise is a sign of:

A) Increased aerobic metabolism
B) Increased anaerobic glycolysis
C) Decreased glycolysis
D) Increased fat oxidation

3. Which factor most influences haematocrit in endurance athletes?

A) Plasma volume expansion
B) Liver glycogen content
C) Sodium intake
D) Resting heart rate

4. After prolonged endurance exercise, blood glucose typically:

A) Increases due to cortisol
B) Decreases if carbohydrate intake is insufficient
C) Remains constant regardless of fuel intake
D) Always increases due to gluconeogenesis

5. Chronic low ferritin in athletes is most commonly caused by:

A) High vitamin C intake
B) Haemolysis and sweat losses
C) Excess red meat
D) Low folate

6. Which blood value is most likely to be low in an endurance athlete with overtraining syndrome?

A) Cortisol
B) Testosterone
C) Lactate
D) Haemoglobin

7. Post-exercise creatine kinase peaks approximately:

A) 1 hour after exercise
B) 6 hours after exercise
C) 24–72 hours after exercise
D) 7 days after exercise

8. In dehydration, blood sodium is likely to be:

A) Low
B) Normal
C) High
D) Unchanged

9. Which hormone rises most in blood during high-intensity exercise to maintain glucose supply?

A) Insulin
B) Glucagon
C) Aldosterone
D) Thyroxine

10. Which amino acid is often measured in blood to assess central fatigue in prolonged exercise?

A) Leucine
B) Glutamine
C) Tryptophan
D) Alanine

11. A low blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in an endurance athlete may indicate:

A) High protein breakdown
B) Low protein intake
C) Overhydration
D) Low liver function

12. Which blood marker is a reliable indicator of hydration status post-exercise?

A) Plasma osmolality
B) Blood glucose
C) Serum potassium
D) Cortisol

13. Which electrolyte disturbance is most common in ultra-endurance events with excessive water intake?

A) Hyperkalaemia
B) Hypernatraemia
C) Hyponatraemia
D) Hypocalcaemia

14. During prolonged exercise, free fatty acids in blood:

A) Decrease steadily
B) Increase as glycogen depletes
C) Stay constant
D) Drop sharply in the first 10 min

15. A sudden drop in blood haemoglobin after high-altitude training may be due to:

A) Increased erythropoietin
B) Plasma volume expansion
C) Low iron
D) Reduced red blood cell destruction

16. Which vitamin status is often checked in athletes with low haemoglobin but normal ferritin?

A) Vitamin D
B) Vitamin C
C) Folate
D) Vitamin B12

17. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) typically causes what change in post-exercise blood lactate compared to steady-state cardio?

A) Lower
B) Higher
C) Same
D) Zero change

18. Which marker is most indicative of chronic muscle protein breakdown?

A) CK
B) Myoglobin
C) Blood urea nitrogen
D) AST

19. Which mineral, if low in blood, can impair muscle contraction and endurance performance?

A) Magnesium
B) Zinc
C) Selenium
D) Chromium

20. After glycogen-depleting exercise, which blood marker typically increases as a by-product of amino acid metabolism for gluconeogenesis?

A) Urea
B) Creatinine
C) Lactate
D) Potassium