DHN 101 EXAM 3 HUMAN NUTRITION AND WELLNESS NEWEST
2026/2027 ACTUAL EXAM COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) WITH
EXPLANATIONS |ALREADY GRADED A+||LATEST UPDATE!!
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
CONTENTS
Section 1: Energy Balance & Metabolism (Q1–30)
Section 2: Body Composition & Assessment (Q31–50)
Section 3: Weight Management & Obesity (Q51–75)
Section 4: Nutrition Across the Lifespan (Q76–105)
Section 5: Chronic Disease Prevention – Cardiovascular & Diabetes (Q106–130)
Section 6: Chronic Disease Prevention – Cancer, Osteoporosis, & Other
Conditions (Q131–150)
SECTION 1: ENERGY BALANCE & METABOLISM (Questions 1–30)
QUESTION 1
Energy balance is defined as the relationship between:
A) Carbohydrate and fat intake
B) Energy intake and energy expenditure
C) Protein and carbohydrate intake
D) Food weight and body weight
Answer: B
Rationale: Energy balance is fundamentally the thermodynamic relationship
between the total calories consumed through food and beverages and the total
calories expended by the body through metabolic processes, physical activity, and
digestion. When energy intake exceeds expenditure, the surplus is stored
primarily as triglycerides within adipose tissue, resulting in weight gain over time.
Conversely, when expenditure exceeds intake, the body is forced to mobilize
stored energy reserves to meet its demands, which results in weight loss.
Maintaining a stable equilibrium between these two sides is essential for
sustaining body weight and overall metabolic homeostasis over extended periods.
QUESTION 2
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the energy expended:
1
,A) During exercise
B) At rest to maintain basic vital functions such as heartbeat, breathing, and body
temperature
C) In digesting food
D) During sleep only
Answer: B
Rationale: Basal metabolic rate represents the absolute minimum amount of
energy required to sustain the body's essential physiological functions while at
complete rest in a thermoneutral environment. These vital processes include
maintaining cardiac output, pulmonary ventilation, renal function, cellular ion
transport, and core body temperature. BMR accounts for the largest portion of
total daily energy expenditure, comprising roughly 60 to 75 percent of all calories
burned, making it the primary determinant of an individual's daily caloric needs.
This measurement is taken under standardized conditions to eliminate the
confounding effects of food intake, physical activity, and environmental stress.
QUESTION 3
The thermic effect of food (TEF) is the energy:
A) Stored as fat
B) Required to digest, absorb, and metabolize food
C) Used for physical activity
D) Stored as glycogen
Answer: B
Rationale: The thermic effect of food is the incremental increase in energy
expenditure above the resting metabolic rate that occurs as a direct result of food
processing and nutrient assimilation. This metabolic cost encompasses the energy
used for mechanical chewing, gastric and intestinal secretion of digestive
enzymes, peristaltic movement, active transport of digested molecules across the
intestinal epithelium, and the subsequent storage or oxidation of absorbed
substrates. TEF typically accounts for only a small fraction of total energy
expenditure, generally between 5 and 10 percent, and varies depending on the
macronutrient composition of the meal, with protein eliciting the highest thermic
response due to its complex metabolism.
2
,QUESTION 4
Which component of total daily energy expenditure is the MOST variable?
A) Basal metabolic rate (BMR)
B) Thermic effect of food (TEF)
C) Physical activity
D) Thermoregulation
Answer: C
Rationale: Physical activity represents the most highly variable component of total
daily energy expenditure because it is entirely dependent on an individual's
conscious behavioral choices and lifestyle patterns. While basal metabolic rate is
relatively stable and determined largely by lean body mass and genetics, and the
thermic effect of food constitutes a relatively fixed percentage of intake, physical
activity can range from negligible amounts in sedentary individuals to substantial
levels in athletes or physically demanding occupations. This variability makes
physical activity the primary modifiable factor that individuals can deliberately
manipulate to influence their overall energy balance and achieve targeted weight
management goals.
QUESTION 5
BMR is influenced by all of the following EXCEPT:
A) Age
B) Body composition (lean body mass)
C) Body fat percentage alone
D) Thyroid hormone levels
Answer: C
Rationale: Basal metabolic rate is physiologically determined by a combination of
factors including age, sex, lean body mass, thyroid hormone status, and genetic
predisposition, with lean body mass being the single most significant contributor.
Body fat percentage alone does not directly drive metabolic rate because adipose
tissue is metabolically much less active than skeletal muscle and other lean
tissues, which demand constant energy for protein turnover and cellular
maintenance. While total body mass influences caloric needs, it is the
3
, composition of that mass—specifically the proportion of lean tissue—that
primarily determines the resting metabolic rate, which is why two individuals with
identical body fat percentages may have very different BMRs based on their
muscle mass.
QUESTION 6
Which of the following factors contributes to a DECREASE in BMR?
A) Fever
B) Increased lean body mass
C) Aging
D) Hyperthyroidism
Answer: C
Rationale: Aging is inherently associated with a progressive decline in basal
metabolic rate, primarily driven by the gradual loss of metabolically active lean
body mass, a condition known as age-related sarcopenia. This reduction in muscle
tissue, combined with hormonal shifts such as decreased thyroid hormone and
growth hormone secretion, leads to a lower overall energy demand at rest. In
contrast, fever significantly elevates metabolic rate because each degree of
temperature rise accelerates enzymatic reaction rates and cellular respiration,
while hyperthyroidism and increased muscle mass both create a higher metabolic
demand on the body's tissues.
QUESTION 7
The calorie used on food labels is actually a:
A) Gram-calorie
B) Kilocalorie (kcal)
C) Joule
D) Watt
Answer: B
Rationale: In the context of human nutrition and food labeling, the term "Calorie"
with a capital 'C' is scientifically defined as a kilocalorie, which represents the
amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of
water by one degree Celsius. This unit is used because the smaller scientific
4
2026/2027 ACTUAL EXAM COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) WITH
EXPLANATIONS |ALREADY GRADED A+||LATEST UPDATE!!
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
CONTENTS
Section 1: Energy Balance & Metabolism (Q1–30)
Section 2: Body Composition & Assessment (Q31–50)
Section 3: Weight Management & Obesity (Q51–75)
Section 4: Nutrition Across the Lifespan (Q76–105)
Section 5: Chronic Disease Prevention – Cardiovascular & Diabetes (Q106–130)
Section 6: Chronic Disease Prevention – Cancer, Osteoporosis, & Other
Conditions (Q131–150)
SECTION 1: ENERGY BALANCE & METABOLISM (Questions 1–30)
QUESTION 1
Energy balance is defined as the relationship between:
A) Carbohydrate and fat intake
B) Energy intake and energy expenditure
C) Protein and carbohydrate intake
D) Food weight and body weight
Answer: B
Rationale: Energy balance is fundamentally the thermodynamic relationship
between the total calories consumed through food and beverages and the total
calories expended by the body through metabolic processes, physical activity, and
digestion. When energy intake exceeds expenditure, the surplus is stored
primarily as triglycerides within adipose tissue, resulting in weight gain over time.
Conversely, when expenditure exceeds intake, the body is forced to mobilize
stored energy reserves to meet its demands, which results in weight loss.
Maintaining a stable equilibrium between these two sides is essential for
sustaining body weight and overall metabolic homeostasis over extended periods.
QUESTION 2
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the energy expended:
1
,A) During exercise
B) At rest to maintain basic vital functions such as heartbeat, breathing, and body
temperature
C) In digesting food
D) During sleep only
Answer: B
Rationale: Basal metabolic rate represents the absolute minimum amount of
energy required to sustain the body's essential physiological functions while at
complete rest in a thermoneutral environment. These vital processes include
maintaining cardiac output, pulmonary ventilation, renal function, cellular ion
transport, and core body temperature. BMR accounts for the largest portion of
total daily energy expenditure, comprising roughly 60 to 75 percent of all calories
burned, making it the primary determinant of an individual's daily caloric needs.
This measurement is taken under standardized conditions to eliminate the
confounding effects of food intake, physical activity, and environmental stress.
QUESTION 3
The thermic effect of food (TEF) is the energy:
A) Stored as fat
B) Required to digest, absorb, and metabolize food
C) Used for physical activity
D) Stored as glycogen
Answer: B
Rationale: The thermic effect of food is the incremental increase in energy
expenditure above the resting metabolic rate that occurs as a direct result of food
processing and nutrient assimilation. This metabolic cost encompasses the energy
used for mechanical chewing, gastric and intestinal secretion of digestive
enzymes, peristaltic movement, active transport of digested molecules across the
intestinal epithelium, and the subsequent storage or oxidation of absorbed
substrates. TEF typically accounts for only a small fraction of total energy
expenditure, generally between 5 and 10 percent, and varies depending on the
macronutrient composition of the meal, with protein eliciting the highest thermic
response due to its complex metabolism.
2
,QUESTION 4
Which component of total daily energy expenditure is the MOST variable?
A) Basal metabolic rate (BMR)
B) Thermic effect of food (TEF)
C) Physical activity
D) Thermoregulation
Answer: C
Rationale: Physical activity represents the most highly variable component of total
daily energy expenditure because it is entirely dependent on an individual's
conscious behavioral choices and lifestyle patterns. While basal metabolic rate is
relatively stable and determined largely by lean body mass and genetics, and the
thermic effect of food constitutes a relatively fixed percentage of intake, physical
activity can range from negligible amounts in sedentary individuals to substantial
levels in athletes or physically demanding occupations. This variability makes
physical activity the primary modifiable factor that individuals can deliberately
manipulate to influence their overall energy balance and achieve targeted weight
management goals.
QUESTION 5
BMR is influenced by all of the following EXCEPT:
A) Age
B) Body composition (lean body mass)
C) Body fat percentage alone
D) Thyroid hormone levels
Answer: C
Rationale: Basal metabolic rate is physiologically determined by a combination of
factors including age, sex, lean body mass, thyroid hormone status, and genetic
predisposition, with lean body mass being the single most significant contributor.
Body fat percentage alone does not directly drive metabolic rate because adipose
tissue is metabolically much less active than skeletal muscle and other lean
tissues, which demand constant energy for protein turnover and cellular
maintenance. While total body mass influences caloric needs, it is the
3
, composition of that mass—specifically the proportion of lean tissue—that
primarily determines the resting metabolic rate, which is why two individuals with
identical body fat percentages may have very different BMRs based on their
muscle mass.
QUESTION 6
Which of the following factors contributes to a DECREASE in BMR?
A) Fever
B) Increased lean body mass
C) Aging
D) Hyperthyroidism
Answer: C
Rationale: Aging is inherently associated with a progressive decline in basal
metabolic rate, primarily driven by the gradual loss of metabolically active lean
body mass, a condition known as age-related sarcopenia. This reduction in muscle
tissue, combined with hormonal shifts such as decreased thyroid hormone and
growth hormone secretion, leads to a lower overall energy demand at rest. In
contrast, fever significantly elevates metabolic rate because each degree of
temperature rise accelerates enzymatic reaction rates and cellular respiration,
while hyperthyroidism and increased muscle mass both create a higher metabolic
demand on the body's tissues.
QUESTION 7
The calorie used on food labels is actually a:
A) Gram-calorie
B) Kilocalorie (kcal)
C) Joule
D) Watt
Answer: B
Rationale: In the context of human nutrition and food labeling, the term "Calorie"
with a capital 'C' is scientifically defined as a kilocalorie, which represents the
amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of
water by one degree Celsius. This unit is used because the smaller scientific
4
