NASM NUTRITION CERTIFICATION
COMPREHENSIVE TEST SCRIPT 2026
SOLUTIONS VERIFIED
◉ 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.
◉ Cell Signaling. Answer: Process of communication between cells
by biological messengers to govern cellular function.
◉ Organic Molecules. Answer: Chemical structures containing only
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and/or nitrogen.
◉ Amino Acids. Answer: The organic building blocks of proteins
containing both a carboxyl and an amino group.
◉ Essential Amino Acids (EAA). Answer: Amino acids that are
necessary for bodily functions but cannot be synthesized by the
body and, therefore, must be obtained in the diet.
Phenylalanine
Valine
Threonine
Tryptophan
,Isoleucine
Methionine
Histidine
Arginine*
Lysine
Leucine
◉ Branched Chain Amino Acid. Answer: The three essential amino
acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) which are abundant in skeletal
muscle tissue and named for their branch-like structure.
◉ conditionally essential amino acids. Answer: amino acids that are
normally considered nonessential but become essential under
certain circumstances when the body's need for them exceeds the
ability to produce them.
◉ nonessential amino acids. Answer: amino acids that the body can
synthesize & normally do not need to be obtained in the diet.
◉ protein synthesis. Answer: Process of joining amino acids with
peptide bonds to form proteins.
◉ dehydration synthesis. Answer: The joining of two large
molecules by removing one hydrogen from one molecule and a
, hydroxyl group (OH) from another molecule and then binding the
two larger molecules together on the newly freed bonds.
◉ Peptide Bond. Answer: The bond between two amino acids,
occurring between the carboxyl group of one and the amino group of
the other.
◉ Hydrolysis. Answer: Breakdown of one large molecule into two
smaller molecules via the donation of one hydrogen and one
hydroxyl group from water to the smaller molecules, respectively.
◉ Dipeptide. Answer: Two amino acids bonded together
◉ tripeptide. Answer: 3 amino acids
◉ oligopeptide. Answer: 4-9 amino acids
◉ Polypeptide. Answer: chain of 10 or more amino acids
◉ Denaturation. Answer: changing the shape of a protein but not its
primary structure.
COMPREHENSIVE TEST SCRIPT 2026
SOLUTIONS VERIFIED
◉ 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.
◉ Cell Signaling. Answer: Process of communication between cells
by biological messengers to govern cellular function.
◉ Organic Molecules. Answer: Chemical structures containing only
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and/or nitrogen.
◉ Amino Acids. Answer: The organic building blocks of proteins
containing both a carboxyl and an amino group.
◉ Essential Amino Acids (EAA). Answer: Amino acids that are
necessary for bodily functions but cannot be synthesized by the
body and, therefore, must be obtained in the diet.
Phenylalanine
Valine
Threonine
Tryptophan
,Isoleucine
Methionine
Histidine
Arginine*
Lysine
Leucine
◉ Branched Chain Amino Acid. Answer: The three essential amino
acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) which are abundant in skeletal
muscle tissue and named for their branch-like structure.
◉ conditionally essential amino acids. Answer: amino acids that are
normally considered nonessential but become essential under
certain circumstances when the body's need for them exceeds the
ability to produce them.
◉ nonessential amino acids. Answer: amino acids that the body can
synthesize & normally do not need to be obtained in the diet.
◉ protein synthesis. Answer: Process of joining amino acids with
peptide bonds to form proteins.
◉ dehydration synthesis. Answer: The joining of two large
molecules by removing one hydrogen from one molecule and a
, hydroxyl group (OH) from another molecule and then binding the
two larger molecules together on the newly freed bonds.
◉ Peptide Bond. Answer: The bond between two amino acids,
occurring between the carboxyl group of one and the amino group of
the other.
◉ Hydrolysis. Answer: Breakdown of one large molecule into two
smaller molecules via the donation of one hydrogen and one
hydroxyl group from water to the smaller molecules, respectively.
◉ Dipeptide. Answer: Two amino acids bonded together
◉ tripeptide. Answer: 3 amino acids
◉ oligopeptide. Answer: 4-9 amino acids
◉ Polypeptide. Answer: chain of 10 or more amino acids
◉ Denaturation. Answer: changing the shape of a protein but not its
primary structure.
