NTA Nutritional Science Fundamentals 2

Question 1

Which enzyme is primarily responsible for breaking down dietary triglycerides in the small intestine?

Accepted Answer

Pancreatic lipase

Answer

Pancreatic lipase, secreted by the pancreas into the small intestine, is the primary enzyme responsible for hydrolyzing dietary triglycerides into monoglycerides and fatty acids.

Question 2

What is the primary role of bile salts in fat digestion?

Accepted Answer

Emulsifying fat globules to increase surface area for lipase activity

Answer

Bile salts emulsify large fat globules into smaller droplets, dramatically increasing the surface area available for pancreatic lipase to act upon.

Question 3

Which form do long-chain fatty acids primarily take when absorbed from the intestinal lumen into enterocytes?

Accepted Answer

Mixed micelles

Answer

Long-chain fatty acids are incorporated into mixed micelles (with bile salts and monoglycerides) to be transported across the unstirred water layer before absorption into enterocytes.

Question 4

What is the term for the process by which glucose enters cells via carrier proteins without requiring energy?

Accepted Answer

Facilitated diffusion

Answer

Facilitated diffusion uses specific carrier proteins (GLUTs) to move glucose down its concentration gradient without energy expenditure.

Question 5

Which mineral is a critical cofactor for the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD), a key antioxidant enzyme?

Accepted Answer

Copper and zinc

Answer

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) requires copper and zinc as cofactors, and manganese for the mitochondrial form, making these minerals essential for antioxidant defense.

(NTA) Nutritional Therapy Association Certification Practice Test

(NTA) Nutritional Therapy Association Certification Practice Test

NTA Nutritional Science Fundamentals 2