NASM Nutrition Certification (EXAM)
Nutrition Specialist Exam, 2023 Update
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SCOFF questionnaire - ANSWER-Basic yet reliable set of five questions tha... [Show More] t help
assess whether an eating disorder exists.
Do you make yourself Sick because you feel uncomfortably full?
Do you worry that you have lost Control over how much you eat?
Have you recently lost more than One stone (14 lbs) in a 3-month period?
Do you believe yourself to be Fat when others say you are too thin?
Would you say that Food dominates your life?
Scientific Method - ANSWER-The process of formulating explanations about the natural
world and testing those explanations with experiments and data.
1. Identify a Problem
2. Formulate a hypothesis
3. Design a study to test the hypothesis
4. Collect data
5. Discard or change the hypothesis OR continue testing
Evidence-Based Practice - ANSWER-A three-pronged approach to working with clients,
which consists of making decisions based on the weight of the scientific evidence, field
observations, and individual client needs and preferences.
Prediction - ANSWER-An expected outcome generated from a hypothesis
Theory - ANSWER-A hypothesis or set of hypotheses for which a large body of highquality evidence has been accumulated.
Hierarchy of Evidence - ANSWER-1. Systematic Reviews
2. Randomized Controlled Trials
3. Observational Research
4. Peer Reviews
5. Non-Peer-Reviewed Media, including anecdotes
Anecdote - ANSWER-an account of a person's experience or event
Uncontrolled Variable - ANSWER-A variable in an experiment that a scientist makes no
effort to manipulate or account for.
Primary Research - ANSWER-Original research where scientists perform experiments
and collect data - this is in contrast to secondary research where scientists analyze data
that has already been collected or published elsewhere.
Observational Research - ANSWER-Research in which a researcher observes ongoing
behaviors to determine correlation.
Correlation - ANSWER-A relationship between two or more variables.
Randomized Control Trial (RCT) - ANSWER-A type of scientific study/trial where
participants are randomly assigned into different groups - one or more will be the
intervention to be tested and one will be the control group. Groups are randomized and
a control is used in an attempt to reduce potential bias in the trial.
Independent Variable - ANSWER-The variable scientists manipulate in an experiment.
External Validity - ANSWER-The ability to generalize the results of a study.
Systematic Review - ANSWER-A review where scientists systematically gather all
research on a topic and evaluate it based on predefined criteria and rules.
Meta-Analysis - ANSWER-A statistical analysis of a group of studies to assess the
overall weight of the evidence.
Empirical - ANSWER-Based on observation or experience.
Test-Retest Reliability - ANSWER-The ability to get similar results when something is
measured under the same conditions.
Reliability - ANSWER-The consistency of a measure.
Validity - ANSWER-The assessment of whether a tool is measuring what it is supposed
to measure.
Selection Bias - ANSWER-A sample of people under study is not representative of the
larger population that scientists are looking to make inferences about.
Retrospective - ANSWER-Describes a study that looks backward in time.
Recall Bias - ANSWER-The inability to accurately remember past behaviors.
Health - ANSWER-A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Homeostasis - ANSWER-The tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between
interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.
Disease - ANSWER-A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant,
especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms, affects a specific location, and
is not simply a direct result of physical injury.
Noncommunicable Disease - ANSWER-A noncommunicable disease (NCD) is a
medical condition or disease that is not caused by infectious agents; it can refer to
chronic diseases which last for long periods of time and progress slowly.
Communicable Disease - ANSWER-Infectious diseases caused by microorganisms
such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi that can be spread (directly or indirectly)
from one person to another.
Wellness - ANSWER-The fluid process of improving the emotional, occupational,
physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual components of life, dynamically leading to a
better state of health and well-being.
Obese - ANSWER-A high degree of excess body fat - a BMI greater than 30.
Biometrics - ANSWER-The technical term for measurements and calculations related to
human physical characteristics.
Satiety - ANSWER-A feeling of fullness and satisfaction.
Palatability - ANSWER-The degree of pleasure or taste provided by a food - a highly
palatable food is one that is tasty and pleasant to consume.
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) - ANSWER-The energy currency of life.
chemical compound that provides energy to drive muscle contraction, transmission of
nerve impulses, and the vast majority of chemical reactions that facilitate human life.
Metabolism - ANSWER-Chemical processes occurring within the body to convert food
to energy.
Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) - ANSWER-represents the increase in energy expenditure
after consuming a meal.
Thermic Effect of Activity (TEA) - ANSWER-accounts for the most variability of daily
energy expenditure.
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) - ANSWER-energy expended for
everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or exercising.
Lipogenesis - ANSWER-The biological process of combining free fatty acids with
glycerol to form triglycerides.
Lipolysis - ANSWER-The biological process of breaking stored triglycerides into free
fatty acids and glycerol.
Glycogenolysis - ANSWER-The process of breaking down the glycogen molecule into
its individual glucose units for entry into the energy pathways.
Gluconeogenesis - ANSWER-A metabolic pathway that results in the generation of
glucose from non-carbohydrate carbon substrates such as lactate, glycerol and
glucogenic amino acids.
Leptin - ANSWER-A hormone produced by adipose (fat) cells that acts as a satiety
factor in regulating appetite.
Ghrelin - ANSWER-A hunger-arousing hormone secreted by an empty stomach.
CCK (cholecystokinin) - ANSWER-hormone released in the gastrointestinal system and
is responsible for stimulating the digestion of fat and protein.
NPY (neuropeptide Y) - ANSWER-neurotransmitter found in several brain areas, most
notably the hypothalamus, that stimulates eating behavior and reduces metabolism,
promoting positive energy balance and weight gain.
Insulin - ANSWER-hormone produced by the pancreas that is released when blood
glucose levels are high, promoting the uptake of glucose for fuel or storage as glycogen.
Insulin helps keeps blood-sugar levels from getting too high, also referred to as
hyperglycemia.
Glucagon - ANSWER-hormone that is released when blood sugars decrease below a
certain threshold. It stimulates the breakdown of stored glucose (glycogen) in the liver,
releasing additional glucose into the bloodstream for fuel.
ATP-PC system - ANSWER-energy system producing ATP during high intensity, short
duration exercise. Phosphocreatine decomposes and releases large amount of energy
used to construct ATP. provides energy for muscle contraction for up to 10 seconds.
Anaerobic Glycolytic System - ANSWER-Glucose is used for fuel and is either blood
glucose or muscle glycogen, broken down in to pyruvic acid, when there is insufficient
oxygen it then is transformed into lactic acid. Energy up to 2 minutes.
Aerobic Energy System - ANSWER-virtually unlimited capacity for making ATP, uses
carbs, fat, protein for fuel. Slow to produce ATP. Lasts anywhere from 2 minutes to a
few hours.
Acid-Base Balance - ANSWER-The process of achieving, or the state of, equilibrium
between acidic and alkaline molecules.
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