BIBC 120 Winter 2015 KEY

Midterm Exam 1 (280 pts.)

Version A

1) (6 pts.) Give two categories of macronutrients: (3 pts. each)

water, or carbohydrates, or protein, or lipids (will accept fats/fatty acids)

2) (5 pts.) Guidelines published by the NAS indicate that carbohydrate should make up 45 – 65% of
the diet for average adults. This value is which of the following terms:

a. AI ___ b. AMDR X c. RDA ___ d. EAR ___ e. UL ___

3) (5 pts.) Scientific research has determined that the average person in the population needs to
consume 6 mg of zinc per day to meet their dietary needs. This value is which of the following
terms:

a. AI ___ b. AMDR ___ c. RDA ___ d. EAR X e. UL ___

4) (5 pts.) Vitamin E has the potential for toxicity if consumed in quantities greater than 1000 mg/day
for adults. This value is which of the following terms:

a. AI ___ b. AMDR ___ c. RDA ___ d. EAR ___ e. UL X

5) (10 pts.) List two of the factors you should consider when assessing the validity of any nutritional
claim. (5 pts. each)

credibility of source, or potential for conflict of interest, or cite peer-review research, or provide
evidence showing correlation, or provide evidence showing causation, or provide biochemical
mechanism

6) (5 pts.) Which of the following would be considered a disease associated with under-nutrition?

a. Type II diabetes ___ b. Vitamin deficiency X c. heart disease ___

7) (5 pts.) “Potassium is necessary for proper cardiac function” appearing on a bottle mineral
supplements is what type of claim?

structure/function claim

8) (5 pts.) “Diets rich in calcium may reduce the occurrence of osteoporosis later in life” appearing on
a carton of milk would be considered what type of claim?

health claim

9) (5 pts.) The standard of “significant scientific agreement” is used to distinguish different levels of
supporting evidence for what type of claim?
health claim (between regular and qualified health claims)
 Use this Nutrition Facts panel to answer the following questions.

10) (5 pts.) After eating two servings of this food, which nutrient
should you be most careful not to consume much more of that
day?

Saturated fat (-3 pts. if only write fat)

11) (5 pts.) Which essential micronutrient is this food most rich in?

calcium

12) (5 pts.) Jane’s RDA for vitamin C is 75 mg/day. After consuming

a single serving of this food, roughly how much more vitamin C
should she consume that day?

a. No more vitamin C should be consumed ___

b. 75 mg vitamin C should be consumed X

c. About 50 mg vitamin C should be consumed ___

d. 2000 mg vitamin C should be consumed ___

13) (5 pts.) The tissue layer of the GI tract called the muscularis is responsible for which of the
following functions? (single best answer)

a. Secretion and absorption to/from the lumen of the GI tract ___

b. Mixing the contents of the GI tract to enhance contact of food with digestive enzymes and
absorption of nutrients X

c. Site of blood and lymphatic vessels to carry nutrients into the body ___

d. Anchoring the GI tract in the abdominal cavity ___

14) (5 pts.) Name one thing that is produced in the gastric pits of the stomach. (3 pts. extra credit if
you can name the specific cell type in the gastric pits that produces it.)

Mucous, HCO32- (mucous-secreting cells); HCl (parietal cells); pepsin, lipase (chief cells)—there
are other correct answers in addition to these, see textbook

15) (5 pts.) Most mammals cease expressing the enzyme lactase before they reach maturity. Some
populations of humans continue to express this enzyme throughout their lives. What is the
evolutionary advantage of this? (I.e., why did it occur?) Answer in one sentence or less.
Consumption of dairy products from domesticated animals
Use this abstract to answer the following questions:

16) (5 pts.) This abstract is from which of the following: (single best answer)

a. primary research article X b. meta-analysis article ___ c. review article ___

17) (5 pts.) What type of evidence is presented in this article: (select all that apply)

a. correlative evidence X b. evidence showing causation ___

18) (5 pts.) This type of study is best described as which of the following: (single best answer)

a. randomized clinical trial ___ b. survey or epidemiological study X

c. research to determine the biochemical mechanism for a health effect ____

19) (20 pts.) Explain how proteins are digested by filling in the table below. Give the major digestive
processes that occur in each compartment of the GI tract that is given (single word answers are
fine). If digestive enzymes function in that compartment, give the name of one of the enzymes
(only one enzyme needs to be listed). If no processes occur in that compartment write none in the
space for that compartment.

Mouth: none (mastication) 5

Stomach: pepsin 5, denaturation 5

Small Intestine: trypsin (or any other of digestive enzymes—won’t accept enteropeptidae) 5
Use this abstract to answer the following questions:

20) (5 pts.) This abstract is from which of the following: (single best answer)

a. primary research article X b. meta-analysis article ___ c. review article ___

21) (5 pts.) What type of evidence is presented in this article: (select all that apply)

a. correlative evidence (X) b. evidence showing causation X

Some of the evidence presented could be correlative in nature; can’t tell without reading article
(no patial credit if only check correlative)

22) (5 pts.) This type of study is best described as which of the following: (single best answer)

a. randomized clinical trial ___ b. survey or epidemiological study ___

c. research to determine the biochemical mechanism for a health effect X

23) (20 pts.) Explain how triglycerides are digested by filling in the table below. Give the major
digestive processes that occur in each compartment of the GI tract that is given (single-word
answers are fine). If digestive enzymes function in that compartment, give the name of one of the
enzymes (only one enzyme needs to be listed). If no processes occur in that compartment write
none in the space for that compartment.

Mouth: lipase 5, (mastication)

Stomach: lipase 5, (gastric churning)

Small Intestine: lipase 5, emulsification 5

24) (10 pts.) Name the disaccharide that consists of galactose-glucose connected with an β-1,4
glycosidic bond. Do we produce an enzyme that can hydrolyze this bond?
(5 pts. each)

lactose, yes

25) (10 pts.) Name the polysaccharide the consists of repeating glucose units connected with β-1,4
glycosidic bonds. Do we produce an enzyme that can hydrolyze this bond?

cellulose, no

26) (5 pts.) The body is highly efficient at absorbing glucose from digested starch and sugars across
the mucosa of the small intestine, such that free glucose in the lumen of the small intestine enters
the blood very rapidly. Why is glucose absorption across the mucosa is so efficient? (One
sentence)

Glucose is actively transported from the lumen of the small intestine (secondary active transport)

27) (5 pts.) In celiac disease, what protein in the brush border of the small intestine is targeted by the
autoimmune attack?

tissue transglutaminase (will accept tTG)

28) (16 pts.) There are three parts to a wheat kernel. Name the parts that are included in making
whole wheat flour: (4 pts. each)
endosperm, germ, and bran

Name the parts of the wheat kernel that are included in making white flour:

only the endosperm

29) (12 pts.) Which contains more lactose, milk or hard cheese? Explain why one has more lactose
than the other, providing details.

Milk. ( 4 pts.)

Live cultures of lactobacillus (4 pts.) bacteria are used in making cheese, and these break down
the lactose (4 pts.)

30) (5 pts.) Fats and oils in food sources are composed of fatty acids in what chemical form? (One
word answer)

Triglycerides

31) (8 pts.) What was the biological relationship between the “matched” sets of individuals used to
provide samples of microbiota to inoculate mice in the experiments described in the Ridaura et. al.,
2013 article? What was different about the individuals in each matched set?

Sets of twins (4 pts.) where one twin is obese and the other twin is lean (4 pts.)
32) (5 pts.) Classify this fatty acid using the omega naming system.

omega-3 fatty acid

33) (6 pts.) List one food that is an excellent source of soluble fiber.

Must contain at least 1 gram/serving soluble fiber

-3 pts. for legumes; not all legumes are excellent sources of soluble fiber

34) (5 pts.) What is the name of the sphincter that regulates flow of material between the small
intestine and the large intestine?

the ileocecal sphincter

35) (5 pts.) What is the name of the transporter that moves fructose across the brush border mucosa
of the small intestine?

GLUT5 (-4 pts. if wrong or no number)

High-difficulty questions

36) (10 pts.) Draw the structure of propionate. How does this molecule stimulate the growth and
activity of Treg cells? (short answer)
structure 5 pts., no partial credit
O
CO-
Binds to GPR41 or GPR43 (G protein-coupled receptors)
5 pts., no points for only giving receptor, -2 pts. for only giving GPR or G protein-coupled receptor

37) (27 pts.) A mouse model system is used to study the metabolic activity of human microbiota
samples taken from different individuals. The human microbiota samples are cultured to grow the
various bacterial species present in the sample (assume they all grow). These cultures are then
used to inoculate the colons of sterile mice (mice that have no microbiota) and allowed to populate
the guts of the mice. The metabolic activity of both the microbiota cultures and the new gut
microbiota of the mice are then examined by measuring their ability to ferment various
polysaccharides and produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Different polysaccharides added to
the microbiota cultures or fed to the mice lead to the production of different amounts of SCFAs,
and the data is given in the following table:

Polysaccharide used Relative amount of SCFA Relative amount of SCFA

produced when that
polysaccharide is added to the
microbiota culture
starch
bacterial fermentation of
starch 3 pts.
cellulose human microbiota cannot
ferment cellulose 3 pts.
β-glucan
soluble fiber 3 pts.; bacterial
fermentation 2 pts.
produced when that
polysaccharide is fed to mice
mouse digests starch and
absorbs glucose 3 pts.; no
starch makes it to colon for
bacterial fermentation 3 pts.
human microbiota cannot
ferment cellulose 3 pts.
soluble fiber 3 pts. (only need
to indicate for one cell); no
digestion by mouse 2 pts.;
bacterial fermentation 2 pts.

Explain these results. You should provide an explanation for each of the shaded cells (i.e., why
each carbohydrate led to high or no SCFA production). Provide as much detail as possible for full
credit.

No credit given for other (extra) information that does not pertain to the required points indicated
above. The partial credit values shown are a rough breakdown of how credit was assigned; some
subjectivity is applied in the grading of this question.