NUTR 331 NUTRITION FOR HEALTH
MIDTERM UNIT 1-8 LECTURE NOTES
SUMMARY (with objectives)
ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY.
lOMoAR cPSD|19857451
Lesson 1 Notes
1. define nutrition.
a. nutrition the study of the nutrients and other biologically active compounds in
foods and in the body; sometimes also the study of human behaviors related to
food
2. discuss the nature of nutrients.
a. The six major classes of nutrients are carbohydrates, lipids (fats), protein,
vitamins, minerals, and water.
b. carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and water are called macronutrients. The text
refers to carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins as energy-yielding nutrients (p. 5).
Vitamins and most minerals are required in smaller amounts (milligrams or
micrograms), so they are called micronutrients.
3. describe four methods of assessing nutritional status.
a. A nutritional history includes an assessment of the person’s diet.
i. many other aspects of the person’s history are recorded, including
medical history, particularly of diet-related conditions. (Examples include
alcoholism, anorexia, cancer, drug addiction, hypertension, liver disease,
pregnancy, and diabetes). Socioeconomic history is also important,
because it provides information about personal, financial, and
environmental influences on food intake. For example, a poor education
tends to influence the diet, as does living alone
b. anthropometric measures,
i. the physical characteristics of the body, such as height and weight. These
measures alert the assessor to serious problems such as growth failure in
children, wasting or swelling of body tissues in adults, and obesity—
conditions that reflect nutrient deficiencies or excesses.
c. physical examination that looks for clues to poor nutritional health status.
i. Various parts of the body can be inspected, particularly the hair, eyes,
skin, tongue, and fingernails; posture may also be assessed. A physical
examination can provide evidence of deficiencies, imbalances, and toxicity
status.
d. Laboratory Tests
i. A fourth way to detect a developing deficiency, imbalance, or toxic state is
to take samples of body fluids, such as blood or urine, and analyze them in
a laboratory. In the early stages of malnutrition, body changes may not be
obvious, but biochemical (laboratory) tests may reveal problems. A large
number of different biochemical tests are available, and it takes much
expertise to interpret their results. The most well-known of such tests is
blood hemoglobin, which indicates whether iron levels are in the normal
range.
ii. biochemical abnormalities shown by laboratory tests do not indicate
whether the cause is inadequate dietary intake (primary deficiency), or
something other than diet (secondary deficiency). Factors causing
secondary deficiency can include inefficient absorption and excessive
excretion (loss of the nutrient). The only way of confirming whether a
nutritional deficiency is dietary in origin is to do a dietary assessment.
4. describe four methods of diet information collection for nutritional analysis of
individuals or groups of people.
a. Diet History
i. This type of assessment is most commonly used by health professionals,
such as dieticians, to assess an individual’s eating habits or usual food