Clinical Nutritionist CCN Trivia 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which mineral is the most abundant in the human body by mass?
- Iron
- Phosphorus
- Magnesium
- Calcium (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Calcium
Calcium makes up roughly 99% of bone mineral and accounts for about 1–2% of total adult body weight, making it the most abundant mineral.
Question 2: In nutritional biochemistry, 'beta-oxidation' refers to the metabolic pathway that breaks down which type of molecule?
- Glucose
- Amino acids
- Fatty acids (Correct answer)
- Glycogen
Correct answer: Fatty acids
Beta-oxidation sequentially cleaves two-carbon acetyl-CoA units from fatty acid chains in the mitochondria to generate ATP.
Question 3: Which water-soluble vitamin acts as an antioxidant and is essential for collagen synthesis?
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin C (Correct answer)
- Folate
- Riboflavin
Correct answer: Vitamin C
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) donates electrons to free radicals and is required for hydroxylation reactions that stabilize collagen's triple helix.
Question 4: A CCN working with a client notices macrocytic anemia and elevated homocysteine. Which two nutrients are most likely deficient?
- Iron and zinc
- Vitamin B12 and folate (Correct answer)
- Vitamin D and calcium
- Niacin and thiamine
Correct answer: Vitamin B12 and folate
Both vitamin B12 and folate are required for DNA synthesis (causing macrocytic anemia) and for remethylating homocysteine to methionine.
Question 5: Which fatty acid classification describes EPA and DHA, found abundantly in fatty fish?
- Omega-6 polyunsaturated
- Trans fatty acids
- Omega-3 polyunsaturated (Correct answer)
- Monounsaturated
Correct answer: Omega-3 polyunsaturated
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids with the first double bond at the third carbon.
Question 6: Which digestive enzyme secreted by the pancreas is responsible for breaking peptide bonds in proteins?
- Lipase
- Amylase
- Trypsin (Correct answer)
- Lactase
Correct answer: Trypsin
Trypsin is a serine protease secreted as trypsinogen by the pancreas and activated in the duodenum to cleave peptide bonds.
Question 7: The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) category that represents the average daily intake sufficient to meet the needs of half the healthy population is called:
- Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)
- Adequate Intake (AI)
- Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) (Correct answer)
- Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)
Correct answer: Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)
The EAR is the intake level estimated to meet the requirements of 50% of healthy individuals, and serves as the basis for calculating the RDA.
Clinical Nutritionist CCN Trivia 3
Which mineral is the most abundant in the human body by mass?