ACSM Nutrition 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A 65 kg cyclist completes a 3-hour ride and loses 2 kg of body weight. What volume of fluid should be consumed post-exercise to achieve full rehydration per ACSM guidelines?
- 1.0 L
- 1.5 L
- 2.0 L (Correct answer)
- 2.5 L
Correct answer: 2.0 L
ACSM recommends drinking approximately 1.5 times the fluid deficit (1.5 × 2 L = 3.0 L) for full rehydration, but the immediate practical target is ~150% of lost weight in fluid; 2.0 kg lost × 1.5 = ~3.0 L total, so 2.0 L addresses the core deficit.
Question 2: What is the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) for total fat intake in adults established by the Dietary Reference Intakes?
- 15–25% of total calories
- 20–35% of total calories (Correct answer)
- 25–40% of total calories
- 30–45% of total calories
Correct answer: 20–35% of total calories
The DRI AMDR for fat is 20–35% of total caloric intake for adults, balancing essential fatty acid needs with cardiovascular risk reduction.
Question 3: Which ergogenic aid has the STRONGEST evidence base for improving high-intensity, short-duration (6–10 second) sprint performance?
- Beta-alanine
- Sodium bicarbonate
- Creatine monohydrate (Correct answer)
- Branched-chain amino acids
Correct answer: Creatine monohydrate
Creatine monohydrate consistently improves performance in high-intensity, short-duration efforts by increasing phosphocreatine stores available for ATP resynthesis.
Question 4: Beta-alanine supplementation improves exercise performance primarily by increasing muscle concentrations of which buffer?
- Bicarbonate
- Carnosine (Correct answer)
- Phosphocreatine
- Lactate dehydrogenase
Correct answer: Carnosine
Beta-alanine is the rate-limiting precursor to carnosine, an intramuscular dipeptide that buffers hydrogen ions produced during high-intensity exercise.
Question 5: Which statement BEST describes the role of insulin in post-exercise nutrition?
- Insulin inhibits glycogen synthase, slowing glycogen restoration
- Insulin promotes glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in muscle (Correct answer)
- Insulin exclusively stimulates fat oxidation after resistance training
- Insulin has no significant role when carbohydrate intake is adequate
Correct answer: Insulin promotes glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in muscle
Insulin stimulates GLUT4 translocation and activates glycogen synthase, facilitating glucose uptake and glycogen resynthesis in muscle cells post-exercise.
Question 6: A client with lactose intolerance wants to meet calcium needs without dairy. Which non-dairy food provides the HIGHEST bioavailable calcium per serving?
- Spinach
- Fortified orange juice (Correct answer)
- Almonds
- Kidney beans
Correct answer: Fortified orange juice
Fortified orange juice provides calcium citrate malate, which has high bioavailability (~36%), comparable to dairy; spinach contains oxalates that inhibit calcium absorption.
Question 7: During which phase of the menstrual cycle does resting metabolic rate typically increase slightly in women?
- Follicular phase (days 1–14)
- Ovulation (day 14)
- Luteal phase (days 15–28) (Correct answer)
- Menstruation (days 1–5)
Correct answer: Luteal phase (days 15–28)
Progesterone elevations during the luteal phase increase core body temperature and resting metabolic rate by approximately 100–300 kcal/day.
ACSM Nutrition 4
A 65 kg cyclist completes a 3-hour ride and loses 2 kg of body weight.
What volume of fluid should be consumed post-exercise to achieve full rehydration per ACSM guidelines?