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Digestive Health & Gut Nutrition Flashcards

7 cards from real CNC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Digestive Health & Gut Nutrition flashcards as text

  1. Which vitamin requires intrinsic factor for absorption and is primarily absorbed in the terminal ileum?

    Answer: Vitamin B12

    Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) binds to intrinsic factor (produced by gastric parietal cells) and is absorbed specifically at the terminal ileum via specialized receptors.

  2. What is the primary role of hydrochloric acid (HCl) secreted by the stomach?

    Answer: Activating pepsinogen and creating an acidic environment for protein denaturation

    HCl lowers gastric pH (to 1.5–3.5), which activates pepsinogen to pepsin, denatures dietary proteins, and kills most ingested pathogens.

  3. Which condition is characterized by chronic inflammation of the inner lining of the colon and rectum?

    Answer: Ulcerative colitis

    Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes chronic inflammation and ulcers confined to the mucosal lining of the colon and rectum.

  4. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, what is the recommended daily fiber intake for adult women under age 50?

    Answer: 25 grams

    The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend 25 grams of fiber per day for adult women under 50 and 38 grams for adult men under 50.

  5. Which of the following foods is a naturally rich source of probiotics?

    Answer: Kefir

    Kefir is a fermented dairy beverage containing live cultures of bacteria and yeasts, making it one of the most potent natural dietary sources of probiotics.

  6. What is the enteric nervous system (ENS) often called?

    Answer: The second brain

    The ENS, containing roughly 500 million neurons embedded in the gastrointestinal lining, is called the 'second brain' because it can function autonomously and communicates with the central nervous system via the gut-brain axis.

  7. How does chronic psychological stress most directly impair gut health?

    Answer: It elevates cortisol, which can alter gut motility, increase intestinal permeability, and disrupt microbiome balance

    Elevated cortisol from chronic stress disrupts the gut-brain axis, slows or accelerates motility, weakens the intestinal barrier, and shifts microbiome composition toward less favorable species.