84297 - Biochemistry of Nutrition

Learning outcomes

Understand the biochemical basis of nutrition, including nutritional requirements and outline the molecular mechanisms by which nutrients can affect health.

Course contents

Basic Nutrition

Lesson 1: Macronutrients and micronutrients

Lesson 2: Bioenergetics and integration of metabolism

Applied Nutrition

Lesson 3: Nutritional guidelines

Lesson 4: Impact of healthy life style on life span

Lesson 5: Obesity and caloric restriction

Lesson 6: Disordered eating

Lesson 7: Obesity, aging and appropriate BMI

Lesson 8: Drugs and supplements

Readings/Bibliography

Main text book:

The Science of Nutrition

Janice Thompson, Melinda Manore and Linda Vaughan

Pearson, 3rd or 4th Edition.

 

Additional reading material:

Articles:

Quantifying life style impact on lifespan [ Lorenzini A, Annales Kinesiologiae 2012, 3, p139.

How much should we weigh for a long and healthy life span? The need of reconciling caloric restriction versus longevity with body mass index versus mortality data. Lorenzini A. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2014 Jul 30;5:121.

Obesity May Accelerate the Aging Process. Salvestrini V, Sell C, Lorenzini A. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019 May 3;10:266.

The slide presented in class will be uploaded.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons.

Attendance to learning activities is mandatory.

The minimum attendance requirement to be admitted to the final exam is 66% of lessons. The 66% attendance requirement refers to the total amount of Integrated Courses lessons.

Students who fail to meet the minimum attendance requirement will not be admitted to the final exam of the course, and will have to attend relevant classes again during the next academic year.

Assessment methods

The learning assessment for this module is conducted through a final written multiple choice exam.

The questions at the end of each chapter of the Nutrition textbook are a good example of the kind of questions that will be proposed.

 

Gastrointestinal System, Nutrition, and Metabolism Written exam

Time available: 1 hour

15 questions multiple choice for Physiology

15 questions multiple choice for Nutrition

12 questions multiple choice plus one open question for Semeiotic

Evaluation

For Physiology and Nutrition

+1 correct answer.

0 unanswered question.

-0.25 wrong answer.

Minimum score needed to pass Physiology and Nutrition in each section is 8.2/15

For Semeiotic

+0.5 correct answer.

0 unanswered question.

-0.125 wrong answer.

Between 0 and +1.5 for the answer to the open question.

Minimum score needed to pass Semeiotic is 4.1/7.5

To pass the written exam the students need to pass each section.

Total score is obtained as:

[(Physio. Score + Nut Score + Sem. Score)/37.5]*33

32 or above is 30 Lode (cum Laude)

All other scores are approximated to the lower value: e.g. 25.9 = 25

Final Score

The vote obtained at the oral exam will be weighted with the vote obtained at the written exam according to the credit (5 CFU for the written part and 4 CFU for the oral part):

(Written Score *5/9) + (oral score*4/9)

30 Lode obtained at the written exam is considered 32.

Office hours

See the website of Antonello Lorenzini