NTP Detoxification & Metabolic Health Flashcards

Which metabolic process converts excess glucose to triglycerides for fat storage when caloric intake chronically exceeds needs?

Answer: De novo lipogenesis

De novo lipogenesis is the metabolic pathway by which the liver converts surplus carbohydrate-derived acetyl-CoA into fatty acids and triglycerides for storage.

A nutritional therapy client with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) would most benefit from reducing which dietary component?

Answer: Added sugars and refined fructose

Fructose is preferentially metabolized in the liver and promotes de novo lipogenesis and hepatic fat accumulation, making its reduction central to NAFLD management.

Impaired methylation affecting detox and metabolic health is most commonly associated with variants in which gene?

Answer: MTHFR

MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) variants reduce the conversion of folate to 5-MTHF, impairing methylation reactions involved in detox, neurotransmitter synthesis, and DNA repair.

Which pathway is upregulated during fasting or carbohydrate restriction to provide energy from stored body fat?

Answer: Beta-oxidation and ketogenesis

Beta-oxidation breaks down fatty acids into acetyl-CoA, which can then enter the Krebs cycle or be converted to ketone bodies via ketogenesis for energy during fasting.

Which environmental toxin class is most commonly associated with disrupting thyroid hormone metabolism by interfering with iodine uptake?

Answer: Halides (fluoride, bromide, chloride) and perchlorate

Fluoride, bromide, chloride, and perchlorate are halides that compete with iodide for uptake by the thyroid sodium-iodide symporter, disrupting thyroid hormone production.

In nutritional detox support, which dietary fiber component helps reduce enterohepatic recirculation of toxins and excess estrogen?

Answer: Soluble fiber and lignans, particularly from flaxseeds

Soluble fiber and lignans bind conjugated estrogens and toxins in the intestine, preventing their reabsorption and promoting fecal excretion to reduce enterohepatic recirculation.